SP, allies hit out at govt over GST on essentials

Flour, curd and paneer to blades, sharpeners, LED (lights), medical treatment and travel have hit common citizens badly. Saddened by it, the new meaning of GST has surfaced – gayi saari tankhvah says SP president Akhilesh Yadav

LUCKNOW The Samajwadi Party (SP) and its allies attacked the central government over the revised Goods and Services Tax (GST) rates that came into effect on Monday, driving up prices of several essentials, including packed milk, curd and paneer, and a few other items.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav waves to people during casting his vote for the Presidential elections, at the Tilak Hall, Vidhan Bhavan, in Lucknow on Monday. (ANI Photo)

“From today, flour, curd and paneer to blades, sharpeners, LED (lights), medical treatment and travel have hit common citizens badly, and saddened by it, the new meaning of GST has surfaced – gayi saari tankhvah (GST - entire salary gone),” said SP president Akhilesh Yadav in a tweet in Hindi.

SP’s alliance partner and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Jayant Chaudhary tweeted in Hindi: “From today, curd, lassi, buttermilk, paneer, jaggery, rice, wheat and flour will go costly as the government wants to extract GST from you...Sabka Saath, Apnon ka Vikas, blind faith!.”

Another SP ally, Apna Dal (Kameravadi) party’s leader and SP MLA Pallavi Patel, in a tweet in Hindi, stated: “Could not provide jobs but decided to impose the tax. Don’t eat, don’t earn, but in the national interest continue to give taxes and then cheer when the government waives loans of industrialists. This is the vision that the ‘Honourable’ calls development model.”