Abin Varkey Kodiyattu

Can you believe it? India's most expensive luxury EV, BMW i7 M70, priced at ₹2.38 Cr, only attracts ₹11.9 lakh in GST at a mere 5% rate, while a regular petrol car is hit with a GST + Cess ranging from 29% to 50%. Take the top-end Innova HyCross, for example. Though it actually costs ₹20.65 lakh, the on-road price almost doubles to ₹39.55 lakh! Even the world’s richest countries don’t hand out such massive tax breaks, in this case ₹1.52 Cr, for ultra-luxury EVs. Each i7 sold could have put 6 buses on our roads instead. And there’s more. Customisations and upgrades like mag wheels are also taxed at just 5%, if we got it right. What a lucrative deal for the ultra-rich at the expense of the taxpayer! This is @nsitharaman's tax policy and @nitin_gadkari's EV policy in a nutshell.

Dear @AkshayKumar, We need a small help from you. Crores of ordinary people are forced to travel like this. This video is taken from the Sleeper Coach of 12105 Mumbai CSMT - Gondia JN Vidarbha Express at Thane Station. While we have a lot of Vande Bharats running with empty, ordinary citizens are not able to afford a Vande Bharat ticket as it costs more than their salary. They are unable to put their foot even into a reserved compartment like this. Despite our pleas, our esteemed technocrat Railway Minister @AshwiniVaishnaw don't listen to our prayers to increase the number of affordable trains for the vast majority of our population. We've noticed that he often responds swiftly to issues raised by affluent and celebrities, even when the matter is as major as a hacked Twitter account. We greatly admire your love for our nation, which led you to take Indian citizenship. Your involvement in the #18to82 campaign promoting menstrual hygiene, anti-tobacco awareness, and traffic rules advertisements has been inspiring. Moreover, you are the only celebrity actor who could ask tough questions to our Prime Minister! We've approached other celebrities like @AnandMahindra and @SrBachchan and none of them could lend a hand of support. You are our last resort! Given your patriotism, influence and commitment to social causes, we request you to tweet about this matter. Your support can help bring much-needed attention to the plight of these people and potentially inspire action. Awaiting your swift response!