Kejriwal slams 'tax terrorism' on middle class, presents seven demands ahead of budget session

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal raised concerns about the plight of the middle class in Delhi on Wednesday, criticizing the political landscape that he believes marginalizes this group.

He pointed out that the middle class is caught between the "notebank" and "votebank" that other parties have created. Kejriwal emphasized that the middle class has become the victim of what he called "tax terrorism."

#WATCH | #DelhiElections2025 | Delhi: AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal says, "... We demand that the next Budget of the country be dedicated to the middle class. Today, I am making 7 demands to the central government... 1st, the education budget should be increased to 10%… pic.twitter.com/Xg0AifPAL8

— ANI (@ANI) January 22, 2025

In a video message, he stated, "Some parties have created their votebank in the name of religion and caste and they make promises for a few industrialists so that they donate money. Between this notebank (industrialists) and votebank (others), the middle class is nowhere to be seen. The middle class has been crushed between them. The middle class of India has become the ATM of the government. The truth remains that the Indian middle class is the victim of tax terrorism."

Kejriwal also highlighted a worrying trend of emigration, noting that "In 2023 itself (approximately) 2.16 lakh people have left the country." He reassured the public that his government had made efforts to ease the burdens on the middle class, such as increasing the education budget, reducing electricity and water bills, and planning to implement the Sanjeevani Yojana after the elections, which would provide free treatment to the elderly.

He promised that AAP would serve as a voice for the middle class, pledging to address their concerns in the upcoming budget session of Parliament, which is set to begin in two weeks.

Kejriwal outlined seven key demands ahead of the session, stressing that the next budget should be focused on the middle class. "We demand that the next budget of the country be dedicated to the middle class," he declared.

Among his key demands were an increase in the education budget from two percent to 10 percent, along with the regulation of private school fees and subsidies for higher education. He also called for an increase in the health budget to 10 percent and the removal of taxes on health insurance.

Kejriwal further advocated for an increase in the income tax exemption limit from seven lakh rupees to 10 lakh rupees and the abolition of GST on essential commodities.

Additionally, he urged the central government to restore the 50 percent railway concession for senior citizens and called for comprehensive retirement plans and pension schemes for senior citizens.

"Strong retirement plans and pension schemes should be made for senior citizens and senior citizens should be given free and good treatment in all government and private hospitals across the country," Kejriwal added.