Time for BJP to break up it's alliance with Shiromani Akali Dal in Punjab: Partap Singh Bajwa

CHANDIGARH: Congress today took aim at the virtual split in SAD-BJP alliance in Punjab over the advance tax issue, saying it was time for the saffron party to break up with ruling party in the state.

Punjab Congress chief Partap Singh Bajwa termed as "ironic" and "ridiculous" the BJP leaders' repeated demands for withdrawal of advance tax imposed by the state government on stocks held by traders.

In a statement issued here, Bajwa said decision-making in the state government was done by father-son duo of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and "others are just non-entities".

The Badal government was ignoring the alliance partner despite the fact that the government was dependent on the support from the BJP, he said.

Despite repeated demands by BJP's Local Bodies Minister Anil Joshi to withdraw the advance tax, the government had refused to pay any heed, he said, and asked the BJP ministers to quit the Badal government rather than issuing threats.

Joshi had yesterday threatened to protest against the taxation system in the state if the 'Advance Tax' imposed on traders was not withdrawn by Monday.