Singh hints BJP wanted swap deal on Shah

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh sought to checkmate the BJP by linking its opposition to the Goods and Service tax (GST) to the arrest last year of former Gujarat minister Amit Shah — without naming him — in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case. HT reports.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh sought to checkmate the BJP by linking its opposition to the Goods and Service tax (GST) to the arrest last year of former Gujarat minister Amit Shah — without naming him — in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case.

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On the slow pace of economic reforms, Singh told heads of TV news channels on Wednesday that Opposition-ruled states were not cooperating on the introduction of the GST.

Then came his stunning statement: “The Opposition parties, particularly the BJP, have taken a hostile stand. And the reasons that have been given, frankly, I can’t mention in public.”

The BJP wanted the Centre to reverse the decision against a particular person who was a minister in Gujarat, he said. “I don’t want to add further.”

The BJP reacted sharply. “The Prime Minister’s statement is laughable… he has blamed the media and the Opposition for the scams,” said party president Nitin Gadkari.

“The BJP should introspect as to why an important economic reform like the GST should be stopped because the CBI, on a Supreme Court direction, proceeded against someone (Shah) accused in a fake encounter case,” said Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari.