Support GST so that India grows faster: Jaitley to Cong

NEW DELHI: Finance minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday squarely blamed the Congress for blocking the roll-out of the goods and services tax (GST) by placing conditions that it itself had never insisted when in power.

The delay in GST’S implementation can seriously erode India’s potential to grow at more than 9%. Once implemented, GST is widely expected to expand India’s economy significantly and push GDP growth.

“Those who try to create impediments want poverty in the country to be perpetuated. By short-sighted vision, we end up hurting the poor in this country,” Jaitley said in Lok Sabha while replying during the debate on the second batch of Supplementary Demand for Grants worth ₹56,256 crore.

The finance minister said that the best solution to poverty alleviation was to facilitate the country to grow faster and thanked West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee and JD(U) leader and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar for their support towards the passage of the GST bill.

“I would urge the current leadership of the Congress party to look at the history and legacy they want to leave behind. Support these measures so that we are able to grow faster,” Jaitley said, adding: “The Congress is seeking to incorporate conditions in the bill which it did not incorporate in the versions introduced by its own government”.

He added that while the world was slowing down, India was in a sweet spot. “It is not difficult for India to grow at 8-9%,” Jaitley added. Jaitley also said that government spends on the social sectors including the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS) have gone up along with the Centre’s allocation to the states.