Criticism of Narendra Modi’s economic initiatives is gaining strength with even BJP supporters voicing their discontent, providing an opportunity for the now-divided opposition to join forces.
More than anything else, it is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s repeated and uncharacteristic observations on Goods and Services Tax (GST) since the middle of October that reveals the political impact of the “historic economic reform” initiated by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government on the stroke of midnight on July 1, 2017.
This series of statements began at the Gujarat Gaurav Mahasammelan (Gujarat Pride Conclave) in Gandhi nagar on October 16 and continued through several other public appearances in the following days. The central argument in the Prime Minister’s repeated assertions was that the introduction of the GST regime was a collective decision of all political parties and State governments and that the Centre only played a small part in the decision-making process.
Elaborating on the argument, he said: “All political parties, including the Congress, took the decision to bring in GST. You are all partners in this decision. The Central government is only a 30th part in the entire GST Council. I had said it is a new tax regime and I will review it after three months. And we not only reviewed it, but are trying to resolve all ticklish issues and all gaps relating to it. I assure our huge trading community that the government is committed to ensuring they have no problems because of the new reformist tax regime. Thousands of new traders have come up to join the GST regime but are seeking simplicity in its implementation. I have given my word to the traders that I will not allow them to suffer. Nobody is against GST, they all want that there should be nohurdles in its implementation.We are seized of it and I am continuously making suggestions to address all concerns.”
This story is from the November 24, 2017 edition of FRONTLINE.
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This story is from the November 24, 2017 edition of FRONTLINE.
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