Blue and White House

There was much mirth in the Rajya Sabha during the debate on the four GST-related Bills

There was much mirth in the Rajya Sabha during the debate on the four goods and services tax (GST)-related Bills. There was Republican Party of India (A) chief Ramdas Athawale who told the House that he would be visiting the US soon and had sought appointment with US President Donald Trump as the latter leads the Republican Party there. “The leader of the ‘blue house’ in India will meet the leader of the White House,” he said, to much laughter. Athawale is a Dalit leader from Maharashtra, and the colour blue has come to represent Dalit assertion. Shiromani Akali Dal member Naresh Gujral counted the positives of GST for Punjab. He said Punjabis live well and love to eat, and if all eateries in Punjab were to cut invoices for all the tandoori chicken that is consumed in the state, Punjab would have a surplus budget. Gujral said GST would ensure that.