Hyderabad: Making a searing attack on the multiple interest slabs of the Goods and Service Tax (GST) imposed by the Modi-led NDA government, that has burdened especially the small- and medium-sized businesses, AICC president Rahul Gandhi said that his government will review the five-slab GST by bringing the interest rate under a uniform table, if elected to power in 2019. The “Gabbar Singh Tax” would be restored to GST that would help small-scale businessmen, he said
Mr Gandhi is on a two-day visit to Hyderabad, his first stop in the city was a meet with women of Self Help Groups who congregated at Shamshabad on Monday afternoon. In a 60-minute question and answer session, Rahul took six questions from women all concerning issues of interest- free loans, employment, health, education and pension scheme.
Ms Madhavi from Sanga Reddy raised the issue of 'Vaddi Leni Runalu' (interest-free loans), she told Mr Gandhi, that the TRS government has not released funds to the banks for the last two years and the ‘Vaddi Leni Runalu’ has become a burden to 4.5 lakh SHGs. The arrears amounting to Rs 1,050 crore has to be paid to banks by the TRS government. What will the Congress government do if elected, she asked.
In a reply to Madhavi, Rahul Gandhi took a jibe at Prime Minister Modi and Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, he said, “The Modi sarkar has cancelled the debt of 15 industrialist amounting to 2.5 lakh crore and bailed them out of financial burden, while rich business doers get multi-crore loans but the farmers and commoners have to struggle for financial assistance. Modi promised to give employment to 2 crore youth while KCR said 10,000 jobs will be created, four years down of nothing has materialised.
Telangana is under the grip of a single family who solely benefit financially. The Congress will strengthen the women at grass-roots level by improving the credits and also waiver farmer loans'. “PM Modi increased the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for Farmers across India by Rs 10,000 crore but the Congress Government in Karnataka waived Farmer debts of Rs 30,000 crore,” he said.
