West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday flagged the loss of revenue for states due to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime overhaul. She emphasised that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled states will be compensated in some form or another, but what will happen to states like theirs? Banerjee said the overhaul will reduce West Bengal’s revenue by ₹20,000.
Banerjee made the comments at the inauguration of a Durga Puja in Kolkata, minutes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation, and said that the GST reforms, kicking in from Monday, will accelerate growth. He called it an important step for self-reliance and prosperity.
Banerjee said, she is happy that citizens will benefit. “We [Trinamool Congress] were the first to demand a complete waiver of GST on health insurance premiums. But what do we see now? Some people are seeking publicity for deducting our revenue. Are they blind?” Banerjee asked.
She again referred to the detention of Bengali-speaking migrant workers in some BJP-ruled states on suspicion of being undocumented Bangladeshi immigrants. “You are tormenting people just because they speak Bengali. Do we torment those who speak Hindi? Nobody has the right to insult my mother tongue. Do not forget that India won her freedom because of Bengal. You will burn too if you play with fire. Do not divide the country,” she said. “Respect these great men [Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Rabindranath Tagore, and Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay] as we respect Sardar Patel, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, and B R Ambedkar.”
