Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing BJP workers in Gujarat on Monday. (Twitter/BJP4India)
As debate over the impact of GST implementation continues, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today accused the Congress of spreading lies about the important tax reform. Addressing a huge gathering of BJP workers in Gujarat, PM Modi said, “Congress is an equal partner in GST decisions. They should not spread lies on GST.”
Modi’s statement on GST comes amid political attacks over the rollout of the reform measure. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has attacked GST introduction on several occasions and blamed Modi government of rushing the implementation of the tax reform when the country was not ready for it. On June 30 this year, Rahul had dubbed GST rollout as a “tamasha” of the Modi government.
“A reform that holds great potential is being rushed through in a half-baked way with a self-promotional spectacle #GSTTamasha. But like demonetisation, GST is being executed by an incompetent and insensitive government without planning, foresight and institutional readiness,” Rahul had said in a series of tweets.
Recently, BJP national executive in Delhi endorsed the implementation of GST. According to PTI, the BJP national executive had adopted a six-point agenda, including one on praising the roll out of the GST which led to “one nation, one tax”. It also claimed that NDA government had “delivered” on its promise to act against corruption and black money, adding demonetisation, a move which invited sharp criticism from opposition, “broke the backbone of black market as well as the black money hoarders”. However, senior Congress leader and former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram took a swipe at this.
“BJP national executive supported implementation of GST. They should talk to traders & businessmen in their own party,” Chidambaram tweeted.
Senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha had written in The Indian Express recently that GST was “badly conceived and poorly implemented.”
Responding to Sinha’s comment, Chidambaram had tweeted, “Yashwant Sinha speaks Truth to Power. Will Power now admit the Truth that economy is sinking?”
