Jaitely appeals to reconsider decision
AMN / NEW DELHI
Major opposition parties including Cngress, Left, RJD, SP, DMK have decided to boycott midnight GST launch function to be held at central hall of parliement on June 30.
Congress said it will not attend the launch of GST in Parliament House at midnight on Friday. Briefing media in New Delhi, senior party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said Congress is not opposed to GST per se, but the BJP is blowing the event out of proportion.
He said no function other than those related to country’s independence have been held in Central Hall of Parliament at midnight so far. He said, perhaps BJP does not realise the greatness of freedom struggle. Mr. Azad said the Congress is boycotting the event also because the NDA government is silent on several issues including growing unemployment.
Another Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said Congress governments passed many landmark legislations during their tenures but never held a midnight session like this.
Left parties have decided not to take part in the GST launch event on Friday. CPI leader D Raja today said that his party will not take part in the meeting in view of protest by small and medium scale entrepreneurs, traders, and informal sector workers on the way the GST is being implemented. CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said he will not attend the midnight meeting.
Jaitely appeals to reconsider decision
Meanwhile Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Thursday said that the decision to roll-out Goods and Services Tax (GST) taken “after consultation with all state governments and union territories.”
“Hope every political party will reconsider and revisit its decisions and be party to launch of massive reform to which they have been themselves privy to,” he added.
“Those who have party to this consultation and decision making process must also accept this is not a decision of the Central government. It is equally a decision which 31 state governments and union territories have been a party to and these are representing various political complexions,” Jaitley said while addressing a press conference.
The finance minister also said that he can’t recall any discussion which has been more or greater than the one in the case of GST.