GUWAHATI, April 27 - Former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today said that the GST regime emerged as �tax terrorism�, hitting the commoners hard, while the development process in the State has virtually come to a standstill.
Addressing a press conference here, Gogoi said that tax collection from GST was also much less, and attributed it to corruption or lapses in collection.
�The GST regime has succeeded only in terrorising the common man even as tax collection has decreased. Even Chief Minister Sarbananda admitted it during the 15th Finance Commission deliberations in the State yesterday,� he said.
Gogoi also questioned the tall claims of the State government on Central funds, saying that let alone bringing in more funds, the government was not able to get the amounts that had been sanctioned three years back.
�The claims about more Central funds at its disposal are an eyewash. It has not been able to get funds that had been announced years back. The pathetic state of development testifies to this,� he said.
On the State government�s ministry expansion, the former Chief Minister said that never before had he seen such ugly bickering for power as was laid bare by the aftermath of the ministry expansion exercise yesterday. Grievances are always there in a political party, but the infighting in the BJP is the worst I have seen in my political career since 1957. This bodes ill for the State,� he added.
Gogoi said that the State government is running at the diktat of the RSS. �None in the government including Chief Minister Sonowal can afford to ignore the RSS,� he said, adding that the government is ignoring women, minorities, Barak Valley and upper Assam.
