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Congress and BJP engaged in war of words over PM Modi’s announcement of next-gen GST reforms and the Opposition claimed credit for the Prime Minister’s move.
GST reform: BJP vs Congress over PM Modi’s Independence Day promise (PTI Image)
A war of words broke out between the BJP and the Opposition over the latter’s rush to take credit for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day promise to bring next-generation GST reforms.
The BJP slammed Congress for claiming credit for the proposed two-slab tax regime, down from the existing four, and reminded the party that its leader Rahul Gandhi dubbed GST as “Gabbar Singh Tax”. BJP leader Amit Malviya said that the Congress “realises” that PM Modi’s GST reforms are “bound to succeed”, therefore the party wants to “rebrand their sabotage as support”.
Govt Vs Opposition Over GST 2.0 Plans
This comes after government sources said that the Centre has proposed to do away with the 12% and 28% GST slabs and proposes to keep 5% and 18% tax rates. Shortly after this, Congress leaders credited Rahul Gandhi for his old tweets and videos in which he sought GST reforms, limiting the rate to 18%.
“Now these people are under so much pressure that they will now agree to everything @RahulGandhi says,” Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said.
Hitting back at the Congress party, Malviya said, “When the Modi government delivered the constitutional amendment, Congress boycotted the historic GST midnight launch in Parliament. They couldn’t bear to see Modi succeed where they had failed for a decade. Rahul Gandhi chose to degrade it as “Gabbar Singh Tax.” And now Congress has the audacity to claim credit for GST reform proposals by the Modi government.”
If @INCIndia is so full of “GST ideas,” why did the UPA (2004–14) fail to implement GST for years?When the Modi government delivered the constitutional amendment, Congress boycotted the historic GST midnight launch in Parliament. They couldn’t bear to see Modi succeed where… https://t.co/cWa0YCN9r1
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) August 16, 2025
“The real truth is GST succeeded despite Congress opposition, not because of it. The proposed two-slab structure represents continuous improvement by a government that actually delivers. Congress realises the PM’s next-generation reform proposals are popular and bound to succeed, so now they want to rebrand their sabotage as support,” he added.
Congress Demands Discussion Paper On GST 2.0
Congress MP Jairam Ramesh earlier said that the party had been demanding “GST 2.0″ for over a year and a half and had included it in its 2024 Lok Sabha poll manifesto.
“Over the last seven years, the spirit of GST has been vitiated by an increased number of rates and the granting of multiple exemptions. The structure also seems to have facilitated evasion. There must be a drastic reduction in the number of rates,” he said.
He also demanded a discussion paper on GST 2.0.
“The Indian National Congress demands an official discussion paper on GST 2.0 very soon so that there can be an informed and wider debate on this vital and pressing national issue,” he said.
Ashesh Mallick is a Sub-Editor with over three years of experience in news writing, video production. He primarily covers national news, politics and global affairs. You can follow him on Twitter: @MallickAshes…Read More
Ashesh Mallick is a Sub-Editor with over three years of experience in news writing, video production. He primarily covers national news, politics and global affairs. You can follow him on Twitter: @MallickAshes… Read More
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