New Delhi, Sep 23 (UNI) The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday launched a sharp critique of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s promotion of the ‘GST Bachat Utsav’ (GST Savings Festival), with senior leader Sanjay Singh alleging the initiative is an attempt to mislead the public after years of what he termed as economic hardship caused by the tax regime.
Speaking at a press conference, Singh drew parallels between the new initiative and the demonetisation of 2016, which he said led to public suffering without delivering on its promises.
“During demonetisation, more than 100 people lost their lives while standing in queues, and 99.30 percent of the money returned to the banks. Neither black money ended, nor counterfeit notes ended, nor did terrorism end,” Singh stated.
The AAP leader questioned the government’s claim that recent GST reforms would lead to public savings of Rs 2 lakh crore while the government incurs a loss of Rs 47,000 crore.
“This mathematics is beyond comprehension,” he said, adding that even if the savings figure were accurate, it would amount to only about Rs 115 per person per month.
Singh presented a series of allegations against the government’s economic policies.
He claimed that over the past eight years, the government collected Rs 127 lakh crore through GST, with a disproportionate burden on the poor.
He asserted that 50 percent of the poor population contributed 64 percent of the tax, the middle class contributed 33 percent , and the rich paid only 3 percent. The AAP demanded the return of what it called an “illegally collected” Rs 80 lakh crore from the poor.
The press conference also addressed the government’s promotion of ‘Swadeshi’ (indigenous goods). Singh countered this by pointing to the Prime Minister’s use of foreign products, from his glasses to his car.
He further cited ministry data to claim that 48 percent of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) have shut down under the current government, and that India’s imports, particularly from China, have increased significantly.
“There is a need to remain cautious of every festival of PM Modi. It could happen that after an election result at 8 pm, the Prime Minister suddenly declares that cutting your pockets is again necessary for the nation,” Singh warned, urging the public to examine the gap between the government’s announcements and ground reality.
The government has previously defended the GST as a transformative economic reform that has simplified the tax structure and increased transparency.
