Jolted PM Modi from his deep slumber: Rahul's jibe over PM's GST plan

New Delhi: In a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi after he said most goods will attract sub-18 per cent GST slab, Congress president Rahul Gandhi Thursday said that his party has jolted him “out of his slumber”.

Gandhi took a swipe saying the “PM now wants implement what he once called Congress party’s Grand Stupid Thought”. “The Congress Party has finally jolted Narendra Ji from his deep slumber on Gabbar Singh Tax. Though still drowsy, he now wants to implement what he had earlier called the Congress Party’s, “Grand Stupid Thought”. Better late then never Narendra Ji!” Gandhi tweeted.

Indicating that further simplification of the Goods and Services Tax is on the anvil, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had Tuesday said his government wants to ensure that ’99 per cent things’ attract sub-18 per cent GST slab.

“Today, the GST system has been established to a large extent and we are working towards a position where 99 per cent things will attract the sub-18 per cent GST slab,” Modi had said.

He indicated that the 28 per cent slab of GST would only be restricted to a few select items, such as luxury goods. The announcement invited strong criticism from the Congress, with former finance minister P Chidambaram saying “belated wisdom” had dawned upon the Centre.

“Government says 99 per cent of goods will be at 18 per cent GST. Belated wisdom. We should have started with 18 per cent as the standard rate. Having scrambled the egg needlessly when GST was introduced, Government is trying to unscramble it! Typical of NDA,” he said on Wednesday.

The party has also accused the Centre of double speak and hypocrisy on the issue alleging that the government is now eating its own words by implementing all that it had earlier mocked.