How much does he know and when will he know: Arun Jaitley on Rahul Gandhi

"If somebody chooses to call it 'Gabbar Singh Tax', then all I can say is how much does he know: Jaitley

Hitting back at Rahul Gandhi over his "Gabbar Singh Tax" jibe, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today asked "how much does he know and when will he know".

Jaitley also asked whether the Congress vice president was satisfied with 17 taxes and 23 cesses which the Nehruvian era gave to the country and wants a system whereby there is no free flow of goods throughout the country.

"If somebody chooses to call it 'Gabbar Singh Tax', then all I can say is how much does he know and when will he know," the finance minister told 'Republic TV' in an interview.

Jaitley said when one does things, one is bound to be praised by people who appreciate it and "criticised by those who either don't understand it or are at the receiving end of reforms".

Asked if he means that Gandhi does not understand economy, the Finance Minister said, "from the quality and the kind of statements which have come, I am sure he could have done much better".

"Today it is those frivolous tweets at 7 in the morning and politics is really around that," he said in response to Gandhi's tweets targeting him.

Jaitley said Gandhi does understand that all Congress chief ministers are a party to each of the decisions taken at the GST Council.

"Is he more satisfied with 17 taxes and 23 cesses which the Nehruvian legacy gave to the country and that is a legacy that hangs around his neck.

"Does he want to go back to a system where every 20 km there is a checkpost checking goods in trucks and where free flow of goods and services are not allowed throughout the country," he asked.

Gandhi while campaigning in Gujarat had earlier this week dubbed the Goods and Services Tax (GST) as the "Gabbar Singh Tax" and has been mocking Jaitley with his one-liner tweets everyday.

The Congress has criticised the government for introducing the GST in the present form, saying it is "unacceptable" to it and is causing hardship to small and medium businesses.

Gandhi had yesterday said the GST was "flawed" and it had unleashed a "tsunami of tax terrorism".