Sanjay Singh (PTI image)
NEW DELHI: Senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh on Tuesday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement of the “GST Bachat Utsav”, alleging that the new tax structure continues to put a heavier burden on common people while benefiting the rich. There was no immediate response available from the BJP over the allegations. Addressing a press conference, Singh said, “PM Modi has announced the Bachat Utsav following the implementation of the new GST rates. People forget the truth. Whenever the PM announces something like this, it is not in the interest of the common people. A good example of this was demonetisation… 100 people lost their lives in those celebrations while waiting in lines.” The AAP leader claimed that in the past eight years, the Centre has collected Rs 127 lakh crore through GST and other taxes, with 64 per cent of the burden falling on 50 per cent of the population. He added that only three per cent came from the top 10 per cent of rich people. “This is not a Bachat Utsav, it is a Chapat Utsav,” Singh remarked. “We never knew that after the Bihar assembly polls, the GST rates would be raised again,” he added. He also alleged that demonetisation led to the closure of three crore small-scale industries and questioned the government’s recent emphasis on promoting “Swadeshi”. On Sunday, the prime minister had described the new GST structure, rolled out from the first day of Navratri, as a “Bachat Utsav” for shoppers, saying it would lower prices of a wide range of goods. Sharing a video of his interaction with traders during his visit to Arunachal Pradesh, Modi said the change reflected growing optimism in the country. Under the revised two-tier GST, most goods and services now attract either 5 per cent or 18 per cent tax, while ultra-luxury items fall in the 40 per cent category and tobacco products remain in the 28 per cent plus cess slab.
