Kejriwal urges PM Modi to enact law to prevent loan waiver for billionaires, says "income tax, GST rates can be halved"

New Delhi [India], January 28 (ANI): Reiterating his demands to waive off the loans of farmers and the middle class, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to enact a new law to prohibit the waiver of loans given to rich billionaires.
Addressing a press conference, Kejriwal claimed that if the loan waivers of the billionaires are "stopped", then the income tax and GST rates on several items can be halved.
"I have two requests to the Prime Minister - Now in this country, the loans of any rich billionaire will not be forgiven, a law should be made for this. This is a big scandal. If loans are to be forgiven, then loans of the middle class should be forgiven. Everyone's home loan, and vehicle loan should be forgiven. Forgive the farmers' loans... If the loan waivers of the rich are stopped, then the income tax and GST rates can be halved. GST on food items and various items can be halved. This is our demand from the middle class of the country," Kejriwal said.
Moreover, the former Delhi Chief Minister levelled allegations on the BJP-led Central government stating that the "government treasury is being looted on few billionaires instead of being spent on the citizens."
He said, "They are looting money from the government treasury for a few billionaires. It seems as if the entire government treasury is being looted on few billionaires instead of being spent on the citizens. Whenever they want to please billionaires, they give loan to them and after 3-4 years, they waive the loan. This is how the money go treasury goes to the billionaires."
The AAP chief claimed that the Central government has waived loan of Rs 10 lakh crores of 400-500 billionaires in the last 5 years.
"In the last 5 years, the Central government has waived loan of Rs 10 lakh crores of 400-500 billionaires. On one side, where poor and middle class is battling with inflating and unemployment, on another side the government treasury is being opened for billionaires," Kejriwal said.
Drawing a comparison from the said numbers, the former CM stated that the Delhi government has to spend only Rs 400 crores for the free bus ride scheme for women.
"When we announced free travel for women, only Rs 400 crores were spent on it while they waived so much debt of just one friend. A middle-class man who earns 12 lakhs, pays 6 lakhs as tax... But in return, he gets nothing..." he said.
After a row erupted over his claims of "poisonous water" supply from Haryana, AAP chief Kejriwal said that Delhi CM Atishi and his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann will meet the Election Commission today at 4 pm.
He said, "Atishi has written a letter to the Election Commission again today on the issue of water... The Election Commission has given time to Bhagwant Mann and Atishi to meet at 4 pm today. Both of them will go.... Don't try to scare us with a case, Saini sahab. Tell your party not to do dirty politics."
Meanwhile, a Congress leader Uday Gill joined the Aam Aadmi Party in the same event in the presence of Arvind Kejriwal, Sanjay Singh and other leaders of the party.
Welcoming him to the party, Kejriwal said, "Uday Gill is chairman of Valmiki Choupal, the organisation which works for the welfare of the deprived sections of society.... I am very happy upon his joining... He was worked for 40 years in NDMC..."
As the date for the Delhi assembly polls near, the poll battle has been intensifying in the national capital, with parties levelling allegations against each other and at the same time trying to appease the public.
The Delhi Assembly elections will take place in a single phase on February 5, with the counting of votes set for February 8. A total of 699 candidates are competing for the 70 assembly seats in Delhi.
The Congress, which was in power for 15 consecutive years in Delhi, has suffered setbacks in the last two assembly elections and failed to win any seats. In contrast, AAP dominated the 2015 and 2020 assembly elections, winning 67 and 62 seats, respectively, out of a total of 70 seats, while BJP secured only three and eight seats in these elections. (ANI)