Finance
Arvind Kejriwal, national convener of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), unveiled his party’s middle-class-focused platform on Wednesday. He also chastised the Center’s treatment of the “most victimized” segment of society.
In a video speech, Kejriwal stated that AAP lawmakers would bring up the middle class issue in parliament and enumerated seven requests from the central government.
These requests included increasing the budget for education, capping the cost of private schools nationwide, offering higher education scholarships and subsidies, increasing the budget for health care, removing taxes from health insurance premiums, and lifting the income tax threshold from Rs 7 lakh to Rs 10 lakh.
Furthermore, he suggested that the 50% discount on train tickets that was previously granted to senior citizens should be reinsated.
“This is our manifesto for the middle class,” said Kejriwal.
“The middle class is a victim of tax terrorism and has been reduced to the government’s ATM. They are the backbone of the nation, contributing significantly to running the country, yet their aspirations remain modest, a home, quality education for their children, and a decent life. To achieve these goals, they work tirelessly lifetime, hoping for some relief from the government, but instead, they are attacked repeatedly through taxes,” Kejriwal said in a video post on X.
Kejriwal claimed that successive governments after Independence have crushed and squeezed the middle class. “The relationship between the government and the middle class is strange. They don’t do anything for the middle class. But whenever the government needs to, they target the middle class through tax.
Highlighting the plight of taxpayers, he added, “If someone earns Rs 10-12 lakh annually, nearly 50 per cent of their income goes toward various taxes. Today, even milk, curd, and popcorn are taxed. Amid such tax terrorism, it becomes nearly impossible for the middle class to fulfil their dreams. Young middle-class couples hesitate to start families, fearing they won’t be able to afford raising children, this is leading to emigration.”
“In 2020, 85,000 Indians left the country. By 2023, this number had tripled to 2,26,219. It’s heartbreaking that our talented youth, who could be the future of India, are becoming the future of other countries,” said Kejriwal.
Drawing a contrast, Kejriwal highlighted his government’s efforts in Delhi, saying, “Our approach has always been to invest the people’s money back into their welfare. Education is key to empowering the middle class. We transformed state-run schools, over four lakh students shifted from private to government schools because of improved facilities. We stopped private schools from arbitrarily increasing fees and even ensured refunds for excess charges. Our focus has been on building schools, hospitals, and infrastructure to ease the burden on the middle class.”
Source: IANS
