Congress has done its homework on Nyuntam Aay Yojana: Pawan Kumar Bansal

The GST that the Congress government was trying to bring was simpler and the rates were much lesser than what the current government has fixed, says Bansal

Thronged by early-morning visitors at his plush residence in Sector 28A, Pawan Kumar Bansal, Congress leader and former minister of state for finance and parliamentary affairs in the UPA-I government, talks to Megha Manchanda about the goods and services tax (GST), demonetisation, his party’s minimum income guarantee scheme and his vision for his constituency —­ Chandigarh 

You recently talked about a simpler GST regime. What kind of GST are you talking about?

I am not a man of finance and I only know as a layman that the GST, which this government has introduced, is not ‘one nation one tax’ as claimed and it did not usher in the second independence of the country. That was the travesty of truth. The GST that the Congress government was trying to bring was simpler and the rates were much lesser than what the current government has fixed. This GST has disturbed businesses all over and nothing has been spared.

Do you think that both demonetisation and GST were double blows for the economy?

Yes. Demonetisation was actually a scam and there was no benefit for the people. It harmed the people tremendously. I mentioned the word Notebandi at one of the public meetings and an old man started crying and said that his money’s worth has been lost. Cash is a necessary part of our economy. Talk of making India a cashless society is completely impractical and preposterous. But it should be gradual. Today’s generation takes pride in flaunting (debit/credit) cards. I don’t even have one but my sons prefer cards. The march of technology has to go on on its own and the government should not force it. If at all the government had to do it, there were ways. The exercise only helped the biggest capitalist houses in the country. In Punjab 20,000 industries were shut down.

How big is the job issue in these elections?

Jobs is the most important issue in this election. In 2011-12, the unemployment rate was 2.2 per cent and jumped to 6.1 per cent in 2017-18.

What do you make of your party’s minimum income scheme – Nyun­tam Aay Yojana (NYAY)? How will the Congress tackle the fiscal deficit situation that may arise out of it?

The scheme has been thoroughly studied and people like Dr Manmohan Singh and P Chidambaram have deliberated on it. It is not a sudden out-of-the-box idea but a well thought out scheme. They have worked on the economics of it. Rather, this government has been fixing and revising fiscal deficit targets every year.

There has been a war of words between you and BJP MP Kiron Kher over rail connectivity in Chan­digarh. She has favoured monorail over metro for the city, citing financial viability. What makes you support the metro rail project?

When you talk of Chandigarh, you should not confine your vision to the city alone. There are 1,70,000 vehicles that enter the city every day from peripheral towns and they add to the traffic substantially. An efficient mass rapid transport system is need of the hour, especially for people travelling 30-40 km per day. The metro is a better option as it is hassle-free and seamless.

But there is a huge difference between metro and monorail? 

As per some estimates, the cost of the monorail project is Rs 2,500 crore and the metro rail project’s cost would be Rs 14,000 crore.

The cost of the metro is to be shared between Punjab and Haryana and the two states were on board with the proposal. Chandigarh would only bear the cost of the Chandigarh part. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation was engaged during my tenure to prepare the detailed project report. I am waiting for Mrs Kher to share a podium with me to debate these issues. We are talking of heritage status for Chandigarh and a monorail will destroy the city's skyline.