Shimla – Congress has accused the BJP-led Union government of exploiting citizens for eight years through heavy taxation under GST, saying the recent reduction in tax rates is nothing more than “repentance and realisation.”
Chief Minister’s Principal Media Advisor Naresh Chauhan on Wednesday welcomed the rate cuts but said the Centre must accept responsibility for burdening the poor and middle class since the rollout of GST in 2017. He claimed the government collected over Rs 55 lakh crore through GST during this period, even on essential items like pulses, food, and clothing.
“Congress, from the beginning, termed GST as an unfair system and demanded reforms, but the BJP ignored it for its own financial gains. What they are presenting today as reforms is actually repentance,” Chauhan said, recalling how Rahul Gandhi had described GST as “Gabbar Singh Tax.”
He alleged that the move comes out of political compulsion with the BJP fearing setbacks in the upcoming elections, including in Bihar. According to him, most of the Centre’s policies since 2014 have been anti-people and tilted against the poor and middle class.
Chauhan further argued that while the UPA-II had laid the groundwork for a uniform GST system through committees and expert consultations, the BJP after 2014 introduced multiple tax slabs of 5, 12, 18, 28, and even 40 percent, which he said led to continuous exploitation.
He also accused the government of keeping fuel prices high despite cheaper crude oil imports from Russia, saying the benefits went to corporate houses instead of citizens already battling inflation and unemployment.
The Union Government recently announced GST cuts on several consumer goods and services, which BJP leaders hailed as a step to provide relief. Congress, however, maintains that the reforms have come too late and fail to undo the financial distress caused since 2017.
