Joshi's move to protest against his own government makes opposition chide BJP

CHANDIGARH: With his ultimatum to state government on advance tax and value added tax (VAT) on Thursday, BJP's Punjab local bodies minister has taken upon himself the role of spearheading the traders' community in the state. Even as top BJP leadership was away to Chhattisgarh for Balram ji Dass Tandon's oath taking as the state governor on Friday, Joshi's onslaught against his own government created quite a flutter in the political circles.
BJP insiders feel where the declining vote share of BJP during the Lok Sabha elections in Joshi's constituency, Amritsar (North), could have prompted him, the party, too, may have been tempted by the opportunity to keep intact its core vote bank of traders.
Taking a dig at the SAD-BJP alliance, Punjab Congress president Partap Singh Bajwa advised BJP to come out of the Parkash Singh Badal-led government rather than getting insulted and humiliated as evident from ultimatum issued by Joshi to take to the streets in case the demands of the traders were not met by Monday.
"It is ironic that deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, who holds the department of excise and taxation and with whom Joshi had repeatedly taken up the demand of withdrawal of advance tax imposed on the stocks held by the traders, had just refused to pay any heed. In case the BJP ministers have any self-esteem, they should quit the Badal government rather than just issuing threats of agitation," he alleged.
People's Party of Punjab (PPP) chief Manpreet Singh Badal said he was shocked at the "sad plight of the ministers in Punjab in the wake of the threat given by local bodies minister Anil Joshi to his government to withdraw advance tax on traders."
"It is clear that CM Parkash Singh Badal and deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal have adopted dictatorial attitude towards their cabinet colleagues who are not being involved in the decision-making process. The ultimatum given by Joshi till Monday and that, too, at a press conference flies in the very face of the concept of collective responsibility of the cabinet," he alleged.