PM Modi should sack Arun Jaitley for GST chaos, says ex-finance minister Yashwant Sinha

Former Finance Minister and BJP leader Yashwant Sinha today lashed out at Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for creating a confusion in the country over GST and repeated amendments taking place in the tax slabs.

Criticising the manner in which GST has been implemented, Sinha said it appeared that Arun Jaitley as finance minister did not apply his mind while doing his work and the PM should sack him for this blunder.

"Arun Jaitley as Union Finance Minister should have taken a lead role in implementing GST nationally. The structure of GST today is filled with errors and therefore everyday GST council is making amendments. I think while formulating GST, Arun Jaitley did not apply his mind. PM should replace Jaitley with another competent person," said Yashwant Sinha, former Finance Minister.

Maintaining that Arun Jaitley has messed up GST, Sinha said that daily tinkering with the tax slabs will not do any good but would only create chaos in the country and confuse the consumers.

The former FM advised the Centre to set up a new Committee under noted economist Vijay Kelkar to correct the GST mess and implement it in a  smoother manner in the future.

"Arun Jaitley has done a complete mess with GST today. Changing tax rates will not help. Vijay Kelkar has worked on GST for a long time and therefore a Committee should be set under him to work on making GST consumer friendly and better," said Yashwant Sinha, former Finance Minister.

The BJP leader also advocated for reservation in the private sector maintaining that steps should be taken in this direction.

"Corporate sector will always oppose reservation in the private sector but I think we have to move ahead in this direction of extending reservation in private sector," said the BJP leader.

YASHWANT SINHA ON RESERVATION

The BJP leader said that reservation in the country was an unfinished agenda even 67 years after the Constitution was adopted in 1950. Speaking at a seminar which discussed the state of the deprived section of the society, Sinha demanded the Centre to set up a  Commission which should look into the state of deprived section of the society today, 67 years after they were provided reservation.

"I think even after 67 years, the objectives of reservation has not been achieved. Reservation remains an unfinished agenda. I demand the Centre to set up a Commission to look into the status of the OBCs, SC-STs from the day they were given reservation till today. The Commission can provide its recommendations on what should be done further to uplift the deprived section of the society", said Sinha.

He also recommended reviewing the upper limit of 49.5% fixed by the Supreme Court in providing reservation to OBCs, SC and STs. Sinha said that the Commission if feels that there was a need to increase the upper limit of reservation, the Centre must do so. 

"If the Commission feels that 50% limit fixed by SC is not enough for reservation and the percentage in the present scenario should be hiked, the Centre should increase it," said the former Union Minister.

Sinha slammed the Centre and the Bihar govt for their lack of willingness in uplifting the poor. Commenting on Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's recent suggestion to extend reservation in the private sector, he said that if he was indeed serious in doing so, he should promulgate a law in this regard and send it to the Centre for approval.

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