Ratlam (Madhya Pradesh): Under the leadership of city Congress president Mahendra Kataria, a strong protest was held against the recent tax increase implemented by the BJP-led Municipal Corporation Council.
Addressing a gathering at the gates of the Municipal Corporation, Kataria urged the council not to test the citizens’ patience. He warned that while today’s protest is symbolic, a larger movement will be organised if the tax hikes are not withdrawn during the council meeting.
Leader of Opposition Shantilal Verma echoed Kataria’s sentiments, vowing that the fight against what he called the “loot of the BJP” will continue at every level. The protest saw speeches from deputy leader Kamruddin Kachwaya, Yasmin Shairani, Rajnikant Vyas, Satish Purohit, Rajiv Rawat, and Sabir Hussain, all of whom condemned the tax increases.
The event was conducted by block president Basant Pandya, who coordinated the speeches and the subsequent march to the Municipal Corporation building. After the protest, Congress workers submitted a memorandum to Municipal Commissioner Himanshu Bhatt. The memorandum, read by Leader of Opposition Shantilal Verma, argued that the proposed tax increase violates the Municipal Corporation Act of 1956.
The memorandum further criticised the corporation’s decision to burden the public with an additional Rs 124 crore in taxes annually, instead of recovering the outstanding dues of Rs 200 to 300 crore. The protestors questioned the need for a tax hike when the budget for 2024-25 already shows a profit of Rs 90 lakh against an income of Rs 400 crore after all expenditures. Kataria reiterated that if the tax hikes are not rolled back in today’s council meeting, the Congress will escalate their protest into a larger movement.
