AAP stages protests against inflation, GST on food items in HP

The Himachal Pradesh unit of AAP staged a protest against unrelenting inflation and Goods and Service Tax on food items outside the deputy commissioner’s office in HP’s Shimla

The Himachal Pradesh unit of the Aam Aadmi Party staged a protest against unrelenting inflation and Goods and Service Tax on food items outside the deputy commissioner’s office in Shimla on Saturday.

Led by AAP state president Surjeet Thakur, party workers took out a protest march in the town, which later turned into a demonstration. (Deepak Sansta / HT)

Led by AAP state president Surjeet Thakur, party workers took out a protest march in the town, which later turned into a demonstration. AAP workers protested by carrying gas cylinders on their heads and raised slogans against the central government.

Addressing the protestors, Thakur said that the government has tried to take away the right of food from the people of the country, especially the poor, by imposing GST on food items such as flour, lentils, rice, and milk and curd.He said the move had broken the backbone of the masses, who were already reeling under inflation. This also brought to fore the real anti-poor and anti-women face of the BJP, he said.

“Even under British rule, there was no tax on food items like flour, pulses, rice, milk and curd. The government should remember that their power is not permanent, and roll back the decision,” he said.

The AAP president said the government had imposed GST on packages weighing less than 25kg, which proved that the government was trying to snatch bread from the plate of the poor. “At the same time, the anti-farmer BJP government has increased inflation by imposing GST on fertilizers. The cost of education has also increased due to increased GST on stationery items.”