Chandigarh, June 23
The Punjab BJP’s panel has blamed the SAD for ‘discrimination’ against urban voters, which led to the alliance’s poor performance in the Lok Sabha elections.

BJP leaders will meet Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Wednesday to discuss the reasons behind the SAD-BJP’s dismal show in the recent Lok Sabha polls.

After interacting with various sections of society, the Tandon committee, party insiders said, had concluded that the alliance received poor response in urban areas due to a “wave of anger” among people. The committee, headed by BJP leader Balramji Dass Tandon, will submit its report to party’s general secretary and in charge of the Punjab unit Shanta Kumar tomorrow.

The committee has reportedly found that higher rate of stamp duty in the urban areas was one of the major reasons behind the alliance’s poor show. The duty in rural areas is 5 per cent against 8 per cent in urban areas. Other factors that came to fore included high charges of issuing general power of attorney, closing of registration of deeds at various places that caused inconvenience to people and problems in regularisation of colonies.

Though free power is being provided to the farm sector, industrialists are forced to pay high rates to meet revenue requirements of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited. Besides high power tariff, arbitrary changes in the Value Added Tax (VAT) and issuance of notifications in this regard without taking traders into confidence, protracted delay in refund of VAT dues, and levying of property tax caused resentment among urbanites.

Sources said BJP leaders would urge Badal to improve delivery of government services and take stock of corruption. “The Right to Service Act failed to effectively deliver government services and Suvida centres turned into hubs of exploitation,” said a BJP leader. Sources said the committee had also blamed the constituency in-charges, appointed by the SAD, for poor performance of the alliance in the General Election.

“The Aam Aadmi Party failed across the country, but won four seats in Punjab because it thrived on the failures of the state government,” said a BJP leader who had access to the report being prepared by the committee.