Trinamool to boycott midnight GST function, Congress and others might too

The June 30 midnight event is a function and therefore not mandatory for members to attend

Several Opposition parties are likely to boycott the June 30 midnight function in Parliament to mark the rolling out of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today said that her party Members of Parliament will not attend the event in protest.

While the government has invited former prime minister Manmohan Singh to share the dais with President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress party is also mulling a boycott.

The June 30 midnight event is a function and not a session of parliament, and therefore not mandatory for members to attend.

Banerjee today said her party was deeply concerned about GST implementation. "After demonetisation, this unnecessary disastrous hurry is another epic blunder of the Centre," she said.

The West Bengal CM said her party supports GST but it required more preparation. She said the entire business community, especially the small and medium ones, are scared and confused.

"Essential commodities such as medicines are not available in many places and prices of various commodities are rising for lack of clarity and mismanagement," Banerjee said, cautioning of chaos in the wake of hurried implementation of GST. 

Banerjee said her parliamentary party will stay away from the function, but advised the government to take six months more for proper implementation of GST related rules and regulations.

Meanwhile, voices are growing within the Congress favouring a boycott. There are concerns, including from the former prime minister, that the event is designed to demean first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru's "tryst with destiny" speech at the midnight session of Parliament on the eve of the Indian Independence on 15 August,1947.

A final decision is likely to be taken in the evening by the Congress.