Car sales surge, medicine prices fall after GST cuts: BJP leader Sambit Patra

Patra said Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai have set new records following the first day of GST reforms, with Maruti delivering over 25,000 cars

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Sambit Patra on Tuesday said the cuts in Goods and Services Tax (GST) has led to a sharp rise in consumer demands across automobiles, medicines, electronics, and daily goods.

Patra said even prices of medicines and common drugs were reduced after the tax cuts. (Bloomberg photo)

Citing industry data and consumer feedback, the party described the impact as unprecedented, particularly in the automobile and pharmaceutical sectors.

“The report is phenomenal, something we haven’t seen in the last 35 years. On the very first day, Maruti recorded 80,000 enquiries and have already delivered over 25,000 cars,” said Patra, quoting senior Maruti Suzuki executive Partho Banerjee.

Maruti Suzuki, according to the BJP leader, reported record sales following the tax cut. Nearly 75,000 bookings were made in a single day, and the company is expected to reach about 30,000 deliveries daily. Tata Motors, Patra added, received around 20,000 enquiries and made multiple same-day deliveries.

Patra said even prices of medicines and common drugs were reduced after the tax cuts.

He pointed to reductions across common drugs for blood pressure and diabetes, such as Telma 40, which fell from ₹227 to ₹212. Cancer treatment costs, he claimed, have seen particularly large drops. He cited an example of Phesgo, an injection that previously cost ₹3,93,742 but has now fallen by about ₹28,000.

“Whether it’s a serious disease like cancer or blood pressure and sugar, which we all suffer from these days, people have got a huge relief,” he said.

Patra described the GST move as part of a continuing reform process.

“Any reform takes some time to settle down completely… today the reform has gone into its 2.0 form,” he said, while stressing that rationalisation and adjustments would continue.