Mamata slams Centre on GST again, attacks Air India move
Ms Banerjee made it clear that she would continue to raise her voice for the people.
Kolkata: Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday slammed the Centre once again for introducing GST “hurriedly”. She alleged that the Centre had threatened the state to go for ordinance by June 19 or the treasury would stop working. She also hit out at the Narendra Modi government for trying to “privatise” the national carrier Air India.
“We were in favour of GST but they have changed many things. Starting from medicine, they have imposed the tax on everything. We have requested them not to implement it in a hurried manner. But they hardly paid heed. They told us to go for ordinance by June 19 or else threatened that the Treasury would stop working. It is like pointing a gun and threatening to fire,” she said at a public meeting in Burdwan.
Ms Banerjee made it clear that she would continue to raise her voice for the people and could not be intimidated by agencies like the CBI or the Income Tax department. “We are the only party who do not fear Delhi. We do not fear the CBI or the IT. We only fear the people and constantly fighting for their welfare is my party’s agenda,” she said.
Ms Banerjee had termed GST roll-out as an epic blunder on the part of the Centre and announced that Trinamul Congress would not attend the GST roll-out programme on June 30 midnight.
Criticising the Centre’s decision of disinvestment of the beleaguered national airline, Air India, the chief minister slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi without taking his name.
“He is visiting foreign countries one after another and signing deals. They have entered into a conspiracy and are are trying to sell Air India entirely. We don’t support this. Air India is the pride of our country,” Ms Banerjee said.
She further alleged that the Centre was trying to shift the headquarters of the Tea Board from Kolkata. “I had forwarded the name of one of my principal secretaries for the post of the Tea Board’s chairman. Their arrogance has reached to such a height that they appointed a person from their party as the chairman. They said the official whom I recommended would act as deputy chairman. Why should a senior and efficient official like him work under the instructions of the chairman? I strongly condemn this,” the chief minister said.
She said she would soon write a strong letter in protest. “I will be vocal against good officers who are being victimised in this way,” the Trinamul supremo added.