People can ask FM to quit over GST failure: Yashwant Sinha

Ahmedabad: Criticising finance minister Arun Jaitley over imposing a “deeply-flawed” GST, BJP veteran Yashwant Sinha on Tuesday said countrymen can rightly demand he quit for the hardships caused and also felt he is a “burden” on the people of Gujarat. Mr Jaitley is a Rajya Sabha member from Gujarat.

Mr Sinha, who has been criticising the Modi government’s economic policies, during an interaction with reporters here, also alleged that the GST was rolled out without giving due consideration to each and every aspect.

Indian economy received “two shocks” in the form of demonetisation and GST in quick succession, said Mr Sinha, a former union finance minister. Mr Sinha was invited to poll-bound Gujarat by the activists associated with “Lokshahi Bachao Andolan” to share his views about the current state of economy and impact of demonetisation and GST.

“Our finance minister is not from Gujarat, as he was elected to Rajya Sabha from here. And, he is a burden on the people of Gujarat. If he was not elected from here, a Gujarati would have got the chance,” Mr Sinha said while responding to a question.

He said the finance minister believes in only one rule, “that is ‘chitt bhi meri patt bhi meri’, means heads I win, tails you lose.”

The minister takes credit for everything, even if something is not implemented properly. If proper attention was paid while fixing the GST rates, such “anomalies and anarchy” could have been avoided, Mr Sinha said. “He cannot take credit for imposing on the country a deeply flawed tax system, and people of this country are well within their right to demand that he should lose his job,” the veteran leader said.