Nitish proposes windfall tax on MPs who profited
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Monday took a leaf out of Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh’s book. Mr Singh had advocated imposition of windfall tax on private oil firms such as Reliance Industries.
By Ashok K Mishra, ET Bureau |
PATNA: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Monday took a leaf out of Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh���s book. Mr Singh had advocated imposition of windfall tax on private oil firms such as Reliance Industries. Mr Kumar suggested that a windfall tax be imposed on law makers who may have made profits by switching political loyalties for a price to bail out the UPA government at the Centre. Not just that, he had a new name for the UPA: The United Poachers Association.
���A poaching game is being played in New Delhi as never before. It never happened in the past in this fashion, not even during Narasimha Rao���s time. All this has brought a windfall for MPs who have been approached to vote for the confidence motion,��� the CM remarked.
The chief minister said he would not know who was playing the role of poacher-in-chief but it is an open secret how MPs are being lured to save the government. ���As far as I am concerned, I am not into the game as my party has been poached but I am not surprised,��� he said. Mr Kumar alleged that the JD(U) MP form Nalanda, Ramswaroop Prasad, had already broken ranks with the party after he openly began canvassing in favour of an independent candidate, at the expense of the official nominee, during the by election to the Islampur assembly seat.
���Fortunately, I am not an MP and it is all fine with me to watch the dramatic proceedings enacted in New Delhi from Patna,��� he said, insisting that he himself did not know about the nuances of the poaching game played in politics. ���I don���t know the art of poaching. How can I speak French if I don���t know the language,��� he said to defend himself when asked if he would himself wooed or poach MPs if he were in New Delhi.
At the end of the day, the chief minister said, it will not matter much if the government survived the trust vote. ���Elections in normal course will be held in April. If the government lost the trust vote, poll will be held in four months. It is not a big deal, for the electorate in any case will have to give its verdict in the near future. But one thing is clear, the UPA government has already lost its dignity and prestige in the eyes of the people,��� he said.
Replying to a query on Ms Mayawati who was now being projected as the prime ministerial candidate, the chief minister said he was not that competent to comment on such issues. ���I am not a high ranking politician. I am a small man, a poor chief minister of a poor state,��� he quipped.
At the same time he lashed out at the Centre for the ���controversy it had created��� in the name of nuclear deal, perhaps creating an impression that the country will become an power surplus nation once the nuke deal was formalised. ���Nothing could be farcical than this. In case of Bihar which could have easily become an ethanol hub like Brazil, the Centre has imposed riders so that ethanol units are not set up in the state,��� he alleged.
Ethanol can be a viable source of bio fuel energy and Bihar was best positioned to become an ethanol hub. But sadly, the Centre was putting obstacles against Bihar becoming an ethanol hub,��� he alleged.
���A poaching game is being played in New Delhi as never before. It never happened in the past in this fashion, not even during Narasimha Rao���s time. All this has brought a windfall for MPs who have been approached to vote for the confidence motion,��� the CM remarked.
The chief minister said he would not know who was playing the role of poacher-in-chief but it is an open secret how MPs are being lured to save the government. ���As far as I am concerned, I am not into the game as my party has been poached but I am not surprised,��� he said. Mr Kumar alleged that the JD(U) MP form Nalanda, Ramswaroop Prasad, had already broken ranks with the party after he openly began canvassing in favour of an independent candidate, at the expense of the official nominee, during the by election to the Islampur assembly seat.
���Fortunately, I am not an MP and it is all fine with me to watch the dramatic proceedings enacted in New Delhi from Patna,��� he said, insisting that he himself did not know about the nuances of the poaching game played in politics. ���I don���t know the art of poaching. How can I speak French if I don���t know the language,��� he said to defend himself when asked if he would himself wooed or poach MPs if he were in New Delhi.
At the end of the day, the chief minister said, it will not matter much if the government survived the trust vote. ���Elections in normal course will be held in April. If the government lost the trust vote, poll will be held in four months. It is not a big deal, for the electorate in any case will have to give its verdict in the near future. But one thing is clear, the UPA government has already lost its dignity and prestige in the eyes of the people,��� he said.
Replying to a query on Ms Mayawati who was now being projected as the prime ministerial candidate, the chief minister said he was not that competent to comment on such issues. ���I am not a high ranking politician. I am a small man, a poor chief minister of a poor state,��� he quipped.
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At the same time he lashed out at the Centre for the ���controversy it had created��� in the name of nuclear deal, perhaps creating an impression that the country will become an power surplus nation once the nuke deal was formalised. ���Nothing could be farcical than this. In case of Bihar which could have easily become an ethanol hub like Brazil, the Centre has imposed riders so that ethanol units are not set up in the state,��� he alleged.
Ethanol can be a viable source of bio fuel energy and Bihar was best positioned to become an ethanol hub. But sadly, the Centre was putting obstacles against Bihar becoming an ethanol hub,��� he alleged.
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