BJP accuses Congress of doublespeak on GST

The BJP today accused the Congress of doublespeak on GST, saying the opposition party is criticising the tax despite being part of all the deliberations before the legislation was finalised.
"Now seeing political advantage, it started criticising the Goods and Services Tax (GST). While its finance ministers from different states unanimously supported the legislation," senior BJP leader and Union minister Prakash Javadekar told reporters here.
The Congress was part of all deliberations before finalising the GST Act, but now it is double-speaking on the new tax regime, he said.
The GST has become a key issue in the poll-bound Gujarat where traders are in significant numbers. Congress is using it as a poll plank in the state to unseat the ruling BJP.

The Congress's vice-president Rahul Gandhi has termed it as "Gabbar Singh Tax" and claimed that it had broken the back of small and medium businesses.
Earlier this week, the all-powerful GST Council pruned the list of 277 goods under the 28 per cent tax bracket to just 50 luxury and de-merit items, bringing 177 under the ambit of the lower 18 per cent tax slab.
The move is seen as a step aimed at easing the pressure among the traders over the new direct tax.