The controversy over the implementation of new Goods and Services Tax (GST) thickened further on Tuesday when the state BJP clearly said the law should be enforced in its pan-Indian form “without any delay.”
“Our stand is clear on the issue. The BJP brought the law at the Centre and the party can’t have a different view as far as J&K is concerned,” said BJP state general secretary Ashok Koul.
“The state should at the earliest pass the central GST law for its implementation in the same form,” Koul said.
Apparently referring to the strong resistance to the law by both opposition mainstream parties and separatists, Koul said, “These people earlier opposed setting up of the Sainik colonies in Kashmir. We were not going to settle people from Haryana or other states in those colonies. This (GST) is not going to derail state’s autonomy.”
Opposition parties, separatists and Kashmiri businessmen have said the law infringes on J&K’s residual political autonomy and its special powers to legislate on financial matters.
Finance minister Haseeb Drabu has said state’s political and financial autonomy won’t be impacted but without making it clear how the government intended to go ahead with its implementation without disturbing the status quo, especially, when the law will be rolled out on July 1.
“If some minor changes are required it can be done but we can’t delay its implementation as entire economy of the state will collapse,” said Koul.
Another senior BJP leader, requesting anonymity, said the central party leadership has asked the state leaders to back the new tax regime in the state.
One of the “contentious issues” raised by the opposition National Conference has been the extension of the 101st Amendment of the Constitution of India to J&K.
The Amendment is meant to implement GST uniformly in all the states of India from July 1.
The government has constituted an all-party committee and asked it to come up with a report on the implementation of the new tax regime.
Finance minister Haseeb Drabu said the committee, with a member each from all parties, will meet in “the next couple of days”.
“We are trying to build a consensus over the issue. Let’s see how it works,” said Drabu.
Last week, newspaper reports said the committee would be headed by senior PDP leader Muzaffar Hussain Baigh with National Conference’s Abdur Rahim Rather, CPI-M leader MY Targami and others as its members.
However, both Rather and Targami said they haven’t received any official communication from the government in this regard.
Rather said the government was “totally confused” over the issue.
“They don’t know how to proceed. They shall have to face the music,” said Rather.
