Left parties spreading false information on GST: BJP leader

BJP Coimbatore Lok Sabha candidate C P Radhakrishnan Monday accused the Left parties of spreading false information on the implementation of goods and services tax (GST) and its impact on industries in the region.

Talking to reporters here, Radhakrishnan said almost all the industries, be it manufacturer or service sector, numbering around 42,000 in the district, have been functioning as usual with the only problem being acute labour shortage.

He said he, along with Tamil Nadu municipal administration minister S P Velumani and Fisheries minister D Jayakumar, had ensured that the demands of the industries were met by reducing the tax rates.

Left parties, in collusion with the DMK, were tryjng to confuse the people and industries by spreading false information to mar the reputation of the Narendra Modi government, he said.

In Coimbatore, CPI-M candidate P R Natarajan is pitted against Radhakrishnan.

When asked about the government report tabled in the Assembly that 50,000 MSMEs downed the shutters due to GST, he said the closure was because of other reasons, including the 13 to 15-hour power cut during the DMK rule and loss of capital after paying for diesel to run the generators during power cuts.

He said 56,600 people were benefited under the Mudra scheme with loans for Rs 865 crore disbursed in the city alone.

Evading a direct reply on the remarks of two union ministers - Nitin Gadkari and Piyush Goyal - on the implementation of Chennai-Salem green corridor and the need for NEET, Radhakrishnan said people were more aware about the issues.