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Kejriwal questions Agnipath scheme, says Centre waived taxes of 'rich friends'
Arvind Kejriwal said, "The taxpayers think that the government took the tax from me on the promise of giving me facilities, instead they are using my tax money on waiving off their rich friends' loans."
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over imposing GST on essential food items and said that taxpayers are betrayed when their tax money is used to waive off loans of "rich friends".
Addressing an online briefing, Kejriwal said, "The taxpayers think that the government took the tax from me on the promise of giving me facilities, instead they are using my tax money on waiving off their rich friends' loans."
“Never in the past 75 years has the government taxed basic food grains. Tax over petrol and diesel is over ₹1000 crore. They are now saying all free things by the government should end. Fees should be charged in government schools and hospitals. They are saying free rations to be stopped,” Kejriwal alleged.
Kejriwal also asked where did all money go? “They are forgiving loans of their friends with this government money. They waived taxes worth ₹5 lakh crore of super rich people,” he added.
Speaking about the Centre's Agnipath scheme, the Delhi chief minister said, “It is for the first time in the country's history that the government is justifying their Agnipath Yojna. It said it is being done so the government does not have to pay pensions to defence persons anymore.”
His reaction came after Modi's statement on freebies. Modi had said, "Freebies will restrict India from becoming self-reliant and increase the burden on taxpayers."
Earlier on Wednesday, in his speech during the inauguration of the 2G ethanol plant, the Prime Minister also spoke out against the culture of freebies.
