"We want the government to tell the country and Parliament how much money was spent on the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan advertisements featuring the Prime Minister. You spend that much money on the campaign and then collect money from people to finance that campaign.
"At that time it was announced that it will be part of corporate social responsibility (CSR), which has now turned out to be the people's burden," CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury told reporters here.
"Swachh cess??? High prices of dal, vegetables, petrol/ diesel have already broken the back of common man. How much more can s/he (sic) carry? Impose the cess on corporates whom you are backing to the hilt, while starving the poor.
"They certainly owe you the crores that you spend on self- projection. Why should Public pay for your campaigns, photo- ops and hype? As the PM jet-sets around the world, common man is fleeced for traveling by train too from now on. #NotCleanAtAll," he said in a series of posts on the micro- blogging website.
The ministry, however, clarified that the Swachh Bharat cess will not apply to those services for which payments have been received prior to November 15 and invoices raised before November 29.
It would mean that railway and flight tickets booked before November 15 will not attract the additional levy.