Sitharaman corners Chidambaram for criticisng GST

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday said Goods and Services Tax (GST) was implemented with the agreement of all political parties and is making changes based on the needs, adding the Congress Party is trying to interpret the fact.

"Modiji government listens to everything what public says and respond to people. The GST was implemented with the agreement of all political parties. We are ready if there is need for any change in the GST, like the Centre did in yesterday's GST Council meeting. The Congress party is trying to interpret the fact," she told the media.

Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram took to Twitter and said, "Ministry of Finance must be complimented for 'improving' macro-economic situation in four months and 10 days!"

"4 months and 10 days is the time taken for commonsense to germinate, flower and ripen into a fruit," said in another tweet.

On Friday, the former Finance Minister said that he and his party are vindicated by the cuts in the GST rates.

"Congress is vindicated. I am vindicated. The merit of capping GST at 18 percent is now recognised," Chidambaram tweeted.

Chidambaram mocked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and said that the government has learned its lesson because of the upcoming Gujarat Assembly elections.

"When GST rate is capped at 18 percent, this Government would have learnt its lesson belatedly. Thank you Gujarat. Your elections did what Parliament and common sense could not do(sic)," he wrote.

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley yesterday announced moving 178 items from the 28 percent to the 18 percent tax bracket under the GST, applicable from November 15.

The changes in the tax system were decided at the 23rd GST Council meeting headed by the finance minister, at Guwahati on Friday.