Sangrur/Barnala, Oct 29 (PTI) Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Thursday assured traders that if his party

Sangrur/Barnala, Oct 29 (PTI) Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Thursday assured traders that if his party

Sangrur/Barnala, Oct 29 (PTI) Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Thursday assured traders that if his party

     Sangrur/Barnala, Oct 29 (PTI) Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Thursday assured traders that if his party comes to power, it will end 'Inspector Raj', introduce lump sum taxation and self-declarations, and provide an atmosphere for traders and industrialists to grow without any fear of state agencies.

     The SAD president, who held interactions with traders and industrialists at Barnala and Sangrur, said the current atmosphere of "fear" which had engulfed Punjab had not only caused immense losses to the business class but had also led to the flight of capital from Punjab and halted investment into the state, according to a party statement.

     Alleging that the present Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government was virtually collecting "ransoms" from the trade and industry by conducting GST raids on their premises, Badal said, "This, along with extortion calls from gangsters, has stifled industrial growth in Punjab."

     He assured the gathering that the next SAD government would free Punjab from the menace of gangsters and bring in transparent policies based on mutual trust and respect.

     Badal also announced that once a SAD government was formed, the Rahat scheme, which had been formulated by the erstwhile SAD government and which only required traders to pay lump sum tax on the basis of self-attestation, would be re-introduced.

     He also announced that change of land use charges would be reduced and made completely transparent, and people investing in developed colonies would not be required to take any no-objection certificate and could simply file a self-declaration to get their registry done.

     Assuring traders and industrialists that all their issues would be included in the party's upcoming election manifesto, Badal said, "We are committed to removing all your grievances as we give topmost priority to Punjabis unlike the Congress and AAP who have no interest in your issues and only want to secure your votes to loot the state."

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)