New Delhi 10th April 2023 – The Aam Aadmi Party politician Nyvaan Sharma has spoken on the toll tax issue of the Haryana government. In a one-minute video on Twitter that has been viewed more than 3000 times, he very eloquently compared the Punjab and Haryana governments on their differing stances on this issue.
While toll taxes are inevitable in travel, just like a lot of other taxes in today’s economy, they are very high in the Haryana area, inviting a lot of frustration from the consumers.
BJP has a stronghold over most states of India owing to the very visible populist statement, but plaguing issues like these threaten to put a dent in their armor.
Aam Aadmi Party on the other hand is enjoying a resurgence on topics like these which play very well on their humanitarian, common man image, a premise that helped them get this far. This incident also serves as a much-needed motivation for the party to keep going on, after recent controversies that raised questions.
Nyvaan Sharma speaks out against ”The exorbitant toll tax prices, entreats the Haryana government to learn from the Punjab government to reduce their toll tax. Toll taxes look like a very small issue in the big media world but it is an issue that has the potential of complete disruption, because it fosters additional tension in an already volatile economy and adds o to the woes, resentment of the voters. The problem here is not that complex, it is glaringly obvious. Inflation has reached a record high, and taxes like these further threaten to rob the people of their financial peace, and thus BJP risks losing their vote bank in Haryana, which has emerged as a strategic location over the years. Aam Aadmi Party has built up progressively over the helping common man image, something the opposition has done as well, but right now it seems that the opposition is more interested in brown nosing the rich, capitalist houses, which is in deep contrast to their original image. They are taking the hard earned taxes from the already miserable common man, increasing the rates every year and deducting the corporate taxes instead which seems very unfair at the end, and adds to the classic adage- the rich get richer, the poorer, poorer.”
Nyvaan Sharma is a rising star with the laurels of being a well-known singer, producer and now this has cemented enough his image as an upright, popular social reformer, who is willing to take center stage when it is needed the most and speak up, especially on the issues like toll tax, which may seem insignificant in the media world of bigger news, but these issues are powerful enough to devour vote banks if not taken care of at the earliest.
There are no statements from the Haryana government at this point, although the topic is gaining fast coverage, owing to the ever-growing glare of social media and one can expect a statement soon.
Overall to sum this topic up, while only two governments are taken into consideration here, it serves a lesson for both the central and state governments that only charismatic demagoguery won’t work, the actions need to follow up as well.