AIZAWL: The BJP-led NDA government has retracted several pieces of legislation it tried to enforce in opposition to other parties, Congress leader Mathew Anthony said on Wednesday.
During a press conference, joint secretary of the AICC and Anthony said that at least four controversial laws were withdrawn after the Lok Sabha had granted substantial ground to the INDIA alliance led by Congress when Rahul Gandhi became the Leader of Opposition.
The retracted laws are Real Estate Indexation, Long Term Capital Gains, Lateral Recruitment for higher positions, and the Broadcast Bill.
He also said that "to the best of my knowledge, the government has relented on this count also after facing flak regarding the budget proposal to abolish the indexation benefits applicable on long-term capital gains (LTCG)". The finance minister has of course allowed taxpayers to pay a 20 per cent LTCG tax with indexation benefits in respect of properties acquired before July 23.
The government's proposed amendments in the Finance Bill have also brought another relief for taxpayers-sending long-term capital gains to reach 12.5 percent without indexation. Taxpayers can opt for the lower tax amount from the two options.
This swift withdrawal of the advertisement for lateral recruitment of mid-level bureaucrats by the Modi government on Tuesday shows that the BJP has recognized an important threat from the opposition, said Anthony.
The issue of reservations in lateral entries is seen as a way to challenge the BJP's political stance on caste quotas by the opposition, he said.
He said that reports are there that the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has withdrawn the much-debated draft of the Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill, 2024, which was criticized in the initial stage as there were allegations that the government was trying to take over online content.
The draft Bill also raised serious questions regarding freedom of speech and expression, and even the authority of the government on it. The Congress leader also criticizes Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not visiting Manipur to help curb the ongoing ethnic violence there.
He claimed over 300 people have lost their lives in the violence between the majority Meitei community and the minority Kuki tribes.
This is while it has now been 16 months since the ethnic violence first broke out, back in May 2023. The Prime Minister hasn't taken even a minute off his busy schedule to visit Manipur or address the crisis that has been happening. He also said that nearly 60,000 Central troops are in the state but they haven't been able to handle things properly.
The Prime Minister, Home Minister and the Central government have so far failed to restrain hooliganism in Manipur. The Congress leader Anthony reminded the gathering of Rahul Gandhi's three visits to the state since the eruption of ethnic violence and asserted that the party is striving to establish peace between both communities.
Anthony also called for action against BJP and Shiv Sena Shinde leaders, who had insulted Rahul Gandhi.
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