Those who have looted India will pay back now: PM Modi

A day after launching the Goods and Services Tax (GST), Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that those who have looted the nation will have to pay for their deeds.

"A country where a select few loot, such a nation cannot scale new heights. These select few never want the nation to grow. Those who have looted the poor will have to give back what they have looted," the Prime Minister said in his address at the foundation day of Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.

He added that the Government of India has taken a tough stand against those who have looted the nation.

"There is a 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan' and there is a movement to clean the nation from the menace of corruption," Prime Minister Modi said.

The Prime Minister also sought to draw focus on the government's strict action against shell firms who indulged in dubious dealings.

Yesterday, Members of the Union Cabinet lauded Prime Minister Modi, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and others for the successful rollout of the GST.

Earlier, hailed as the 'most ambitious economic reform' in India, the GST was launched during a midnight session of Parliament in the presence of President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and other dignitaries.

However, the Congress yesterday termed its skip of the midnight launching of the GST as an ideological boycott.

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government led by Prime Minister Modi has convened a special sitting of the Parliament at the Central Hall tonight to witness the rollout of the new tax regime from tomorrow.

The Congress on Thursday announced boycotting the midnight rollout of the GST and termed it Modi government's tamasha (drama) and 'publicity stunt'.

Senior Congress leader and former Cabinet Minister Anand Sharma that Congress' skip is an "ideological boycott" for many reasons.

He said that first and foremost objection is that the Modi Government is attempting to take full credit of the GST.

The Congress leader said that when Congress led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) had had brought the GST then only one chief minister had opposed it, who was then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

Defending its decision to skip Parliament's special midnight session tonight, Sharma called it an insult to 1947 and termed it as an ideological boycott.