DIBRUGARH, July 3 - The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Ripun Bora today said that the Goods and Service Tax (GST), which was hyped as a landmark indirect tax reform and introduced on July 1, 2017 by the BJP-led Central government, has totally flopped.
�The hidden agenda of the BJP to aid the big capitalists has come to the fore. The GST has only backfired. Our economic policy is in a retrograde state now. The policy has caused immense harm to the economy of the State and the country as whole as it has directly affected the traders � medium and small businessmen. After the GST, the revenue earning of the State in the last one year has only been reduced by 50%. Before GST was introduced, Assam�s earning was Rs 1100 crore in a year but post GST, the earning has come around Rs 550 crore. This has been claimed by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal before the Niti Aayog. Moreover, senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy has described GST as a failure,� said Bora.
The Congress leader further said that the BJP in the State is seeking to increase sale and consumption of liquor for revenue purpose. They have reduced the dry days from 24 to 3 only. The timing for sale has also been extended to 11 pm. Things which are harmful to the society must only be restricted. This is not going to benefit the State but cause harm. There are other alternatives to earn revenue, he said.
Bora who along with other party leaders are here for the APCC executive committee meeting also talked about escalating prices of commodities including fuel and LPG, dictatorial tendency of the BJP, failures of the BJP in implementing schemes under IAY and MGNREGA and deplorable road conditions etc.
Senior Congress leader and former APCC president Paban Singh Ghatowar and leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia also addressed the media.
The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) in association with its district body is holding its extended executive committee meeting for the first time outside the party headquarters. The day-long meeting will be held at Dutta Parkland here tomorrow.
The meeting holds special significance as the party leadership is expected to engage in brainstorming sessions to prepare a roadmap for the impending panchayat and subsequent Lok Sabha polls. The party�s office bearers are sitting this evening to give a final shape to the agenda for tomorrow�s day-long sessions.
Ripun Bora said that the party�s executive committee will adopt some resolutions on burning issues related to politics, economy, organizational matters, law and order, NRC, Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 and a few others. �The meeting will specifically review the party�s preparedness for the forthcoming elections, particularly the panchayat polls. We are seeking to prepare the roadmap for the panchayat elections following the meeting,� said Bora.
