Parliament cannot be used for self-advertisement: Congress

Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma on Friday said there was no reason to celebrate the Goods and Services Tax (GST) roll-out as the country was not yet ready for the new tax regime and termed the midnight Parliament session as self-advertisement by the government.

"The programme organised by the government does not have a base. They have to understand if everyone is actually ready for it? It is a serious issue, that on so many occasions reforms have come in the past but there was no such midnight session to celebrate it. Parliament cannot be used for advertisement," said Sharma.

Speaking to reporters outside the Congress party office, Sharma said that in the past there were many important occasions but midnight sessions of the Parliament were never organised.

"In 1974, India became nuclear power ... In 1991 the economic reforms came but there was no such celebration. During UPA so many such reforms came regarding education and others, but never was such a thing done," said Sharma, adding that the GST was only a tax and there was no need for any celebration.

The Congress is boycotting the midnight Parliament session for roll-out of GST.

--IANS

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