St Stephen’ s clarifies‘ blind leaders immune’ remark
One of the premier institutes of Delhi, the St Stephen's College, had to clarify on Friday about a remark made by its principal, John Varghese, in a note on the college website mourning the demise of a first year student of the college who recently succumbed to Covid-19.
"A section of the press/media has chosen to selectively interpret and report the communication of the principal and I am deeply saddened by the divisive, mischievous and irresponsible nature of such media reports," said a communicastudent of St Stephen's, died due to Covid at a private hospital in Kota, Rajasthan, on Tuesday.
"A young man looking forward to life, expectantly," Jha was remembered by college principal Varghese in a heartfelt note on the college website.
"The claims of belligerent and blind leaders who are immune to the suffering and deaths of simple people also show that we are veering off dangerously to becoming a cruel and insensitive race. How do all those claims of power and importance matter before the death of a loved one? Nothing," he wrote.
Sources said she cited a report prepared by the Fitment Committee on GST rates, comprising tax officers of the Centre and states, listing out the pros and cons of waiver and zero-rating of Covid vaccines, drugs and other equipment, pointing out that it would result in denial of benefit of the input tax credit on raw materials to the manufacturers; therefore, not much benefit will accrue to the consumers.
Earlier in the day, Congress general secretar y Priyanka Gandhi Vadra urged Sitharaman and the state finance ministers to exempt GST on all life-saving medicines and equipment being used in the fight against Covid-19, as taxing them was a "cruelty." Recovering GST on COVID-related products from people who struggled for ambulances, beds, ventilators, oxygen, medicines and vaccines during the pandemic amounts to "cruelty and insensitivity", Priyanka said in a tweet in Hindi.
However, the FM refused to budge from the levy of 5% GST. Sitharaman, who presided over the meeting, however, told a Press conference that no taxes will be imposed on relief material received from abroad for the fight against Coronavirus. Also, in a marginal relief, the council extended the GST exemption on import of Covidrelated equipment till August 31. The council has also included medicines used in treatment of black fungus in the list of items exempted.
The FM said no consensus could be reached on reduction of tax rates on Covid vaccines. The council, therefore, constituted a group of ministers (GoM) to take a decision on it by June 8. The GoM may also consider revision of GST on a score of items used in the fight against Coronavirus. The filing of quarterly returns by small traders will continue, while the council relaxed the late fee penalty on delayed payment of GST.
St Stephen’s clarifies ‘blind leaders...
"We will not live forever. No, no one among us is eternal but if we can pass on the wisdom of our collective experiences then perhaps there is a possibility of redemption from the curse of arrogance," Varghese said in the note.
Thereaf ter came the clarification on "irresponsible reporting", which also said that the institution does not encourage politics on its campus, neither does it recognise any political body, local, national or international among the college community.
The clarification came af ter the Students' Federation of India (SFI), a Lef t-wing student organisation politically aligned to the CPI, recalled Jha's association with the student body.
"He succumbed to the disease on Tuesday af ter being on a ventilator for eight days. He had also been elected as a member of the new organising committee of St Stephen's SFI formed in April," the SFI said.
"Rest In Power Comrade," the student body tweeted while paying tribute to Jha.
Ananyo Chakraborty, a second-year student of the college and a member of the SFI, said they came to know about Jha's demise on Wednesday.