Congress raps NDA government for its economic policies

New Delhi, March 21 (IANS) The Congress on Tuesday criticised the BJP-led NDA government for its economic policies, saying that disparity between the poor and the rich was widening because of its "wrong taxation and economic policies".

"The government has reduced direct taxes and increased the indirect ones," Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda told media in Parliament House.

He said this created problems for the masses as increased indirect taxes hurt the poor the most.

"All Indians, including the poor and the super rich, are paying the same tax on petroleum products," he said, asking the government to hike, if it has to, only the direct taxes and not the indirect ones.

He said that transparent electoral funding measures cannot be merged in the Finance Bill and the Congress would want a separate bill on it.

"The government has failed to take advantage of the world economic conditions. It has imposed heavy taxes more on petroleum products when crude oil was being sold at lower costs in the international market," Hooda said.

The Congress Lok Sabha MP said that for the first time after 58 years, the industry has borrowed very less from banks in comparison to yesteryears.

"This is a clear indication that there would be lesser job creation," he said.

To a query on what the Congress' view was on the Supreme Court's suggestion on settlement of the Ayodhya Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute through negotiation, he said: "Congress welcomes it".