Naidu skips traders'' rally at Ramlila Ground

 Syed Ali Ahmed

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 18

Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu today skipped the "Massive National Rally" organised by the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) at Ramlila Ground after getting information that only a few hundred traders were gathered at the venue where an arrangement of 10,000 people was made.

The organiser of the rally announced in the beginning of the rally that Naidu would be main speaker and would reach the venue just after Question Hour Parliament. But at the end of the rally it was announced that due to hectic debate in Parliament the minister could not spare time to address the rally.

However, sources said the minister refused to address the rally after he came to know about thin attendance of people at the venue.

According to general secretary of the CAIT Parveen Khandelwal, who opposed Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill that was cleared by the union government, said traffic jam was the reason of thin attendance of the people in the rally.

Demanding amendment to the bill, Khandelwal said if the bill that was cleared by the Cabinet yesterday becomes Act, the trader would have to pay double tax - Central GST and the State GST. The Central GST will be collected by the Excise Department and the State GST by the VAT Department. Small traders cannot sustain in such a situation. The government should simplify the GST making it like single tax, single authority to be applicable in the country.

The GST Bill cleared by the Cabinet will only help the corporate houses in the trading sector, he said.

The GST is implemented in 179 countries in the world. But most of countries have single GST system.

Khandelwal and other speakers in the rally demanded specified rules and regulations for e-commerce business in India. They also opposed the FDI in retail business.