TDP to raise contempt issue in Parliament against UPA Govt

Hyderabad, Apr 18 (UNI) Contending that the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance(UPA) Government had ''misled'' Parliament by bringing more and more professions under the service tax net, the opposition Telugu Desam Party today said the party would raise contempt issue against the Manmohan Singh Government in the Budget session of Parliament resuming on April 26.

Talking to newspersons here, party spokesman R Chandrasekhara Reddy, MP, claimed that the UPA Government had ''misled'' the house by claiming to have presented a ''tax-free budget''.

''Even small petty traders, including barbers and those selling flowers and fruits are not barred from the purview of the service tax net''.

''This is nothing but picking the pockets of smalltime businessmen'', he said, adding that only corporate houses would be able to survive under the rule of the UPA which had come to power promising to come to the rescue the commonman.

Accusing the UPA Government of purusing ''wrong'' food policy, Mr Reddy alleged that after importing 55 lakh tonnes of wheat from Australia by paying price higher than that offered to the farmers in the country, the Government had decided to import 15 lakh tonnes of pulses.

On the other hand, it was forcibly acquiring fertile lands for Special Economic Zones(SEZ) at the cost of nation's food security, he alleged.

UNI