Heat on him in Punjab, Raghav Chadha earns reprieve with Bill, GST reversal | Political Pulse News,The Indian Express
Raghav Chadha has been at the centre of a row since July when the Bhagwant Singh Mann government constituted a temporary committee to advise it and anointed him its chairman.
This Parliament session is proving to be just what the doctor ordered for Raghav Chadha, a Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab. On Friday, Chadha introduced a Private Member’s Bill seeking a legislation guaranteeing minimum support price, and declared that he will fight for farmers’ rights till his very last breath.
Before that, Chadha met Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to seek withdrawal of 12% GST on guesthouses near the Golden Temple, likening them to jizya tax imposed by the Mughals on non-Muslim subjects. Subsequently, on Thursday, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) rolled back the order.
The Aam Aadmi Party leader also urged the Central government to make good on its September 2021 announcement of a ‘gurdwara circuit train’ connecting historic shrines across the country.
All these measures, with their emotive links to Punjab, are aimed with an eye on the state. And are expected to help Chadha at a time when he has run into a spot of trouble there. Social media platforms frequented by both AAP and its followers have been abuzz with plaudits for the MP.
Chadha has been at the centre of a row since July when the Bhagwant Singh Mann government constituted a temporary committee to advise it and anointed him its chairman. The Opposition called the move as yet another example of AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal running the Mann government through proxy. Some leaders even compared Chadha to the British resident foisted upon princely states such as Punjab by the East India company.
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