GST cut a win for people, says Kumari Selja

Former Union minister and Congress MP from Sirsa, Kumari Selja, on Thursday said that the recent reduction in GST rates was a direct result of the Congress' long-standing demand for a simpler and fairer tax system.

In a statement to the media, Selja recalled that when the GST was introduced in 2016, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had warned against its complex and harsh structure, calling it the "Gabbar Singh Tax". “Now that the BJP’s popularity is shrinking, they have finally accepted our demand,” she said, calling the move a victory for the people and small businesses.

She criticised the BJP government for initially including essential items like milk, curd, flour, children’s books, and even oxygen under the GST. “While they celebrated high GST collections, the reality was that people were burdened,” she said, adding that the states should be compensated for the next five years, with 2024-25 as the base year.

Meanwhile, she also expressed concern over the flood crisis in Haryana, saying that the state government had failed to manage the situation. She said over 11 districts and nearly 2,000 villages were affected, with 18 deaths reported so far and large-scale crop damage. Cities and towns were waterlogged, and people were suffering due to poor preparedness and delayed relief efforts, she claimed.