NEW DELHI: Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday accused the opposition of misleading people on Goods and Services Tax (GST) reforms, insisting that India deserves a better opposition and better opposition leaders.In an interview with PTI, she hit back at Congress for accusing the BJP-led NDA of introducing four GST slabs in 2017, while now claiming credit for the latest move to reduce the structure to just two rates.
“It was not the BJP’s decision nor the case that then-Union finance minister Arun Jaitley was deciding upon different tax slabs or what should be the GST rate for a particular item,” she said. “Are they (opposition) not aware of it?”According to the FM, the tax structure was finalised by the Empowered Committee of state finance ministers, which also included Congress leaders and other opposition members. “The Congress has now stirred into action. If you do not understand the issue, then the least you can do is keep quiet,” she remarked.The FM also pointed out that deliberations on GST went on for years, including during the UPA era, with Congress-led UPA government, left leader and then-West Bengal finance minister Asim Dasgupta steering consultations as head of the committee. She said the panel studied tax variations across states, worked out an average, and then placed goods and services into four slabs closest to those levels.She said, “India deserves a better opposition. I strongly believe in it. India needs better opposition leaders. Such ill-informed commentary will do no good. These leaders are misleading the public and not serving the country. In fact, they are harming it.”The minister added that she was prepared to admit fault if the opposition could counter her with facts. “I have no ego. I will even apologise to people. But what they (opposition) are saying is nonsense,” she declared.Earlier, on Wednesday, the GST Council agreed to reduce the four-tier system to two slabs of 5% and 18%, effective September 22, the first day of Navratri. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that the Modi government had burdened people with high tax rates for years and described the change as “GST 1.5”, arguing that “GST 2.0” was still awaited.FM Sitharaman also dismissed suggestions from Congress leader Jairam Ramesh that the prime minister had undermined the GST Council by announcing reforms in his Independence Day address. “Modi gave a message to the country about reforms as the country’s prime minister. What is wrong in this?” she asked.When asked whether the reform drive to ease the burden on people would continue, given recent steps such as higher tax exemptions and GST rationalisation in the government’s third term, she said PM Modi has always remained focused on pro-people reforms.
