Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 9: Referring Chief Minister’s statement showering praises on BJP for keeping its promise of safeguarding J&K’s special position by supporting the adoption and implementation of modified GST in the State under the pretext of Article 370, JKNPP chairman Harsh Dev Singh has said that the CM’s remarks came as a slap on the Saffron party’s face which had despicably corroded its core ideology by surrendering in the name of State’s ‘special status’ for the loaves of power.
Addressing a press conference, here today, Singh alleged that the BJP’s pusillanimous acquiesce before the PDP by adopting modified GST in the State besides jettisoning its core philosophy to abrogate Article 370 has brought ignominy and disrespect to the pious soul of Dr Shyama Prasad Mookerjee, who laid down his life for total integration of J&K with Indian Union.
“The State Assembly adopted the resolution of modified GST calling on the Centre to safeguard the so called ‘special status’ and ‘exclusive taxation powers’ of the State and subsequently the President of India accorded his assent on modified GST safeguarding the special status on July 6th, which also marked the 117th birth anniversary of Dr Mookerjee,” he rued.
Admonishing the BJP-PDP coalition for succumbing to the pressure and dictates of the secessionist forces in the Valley, Singh said that the State Government had indirectly conveyed to the subversive camps that it had not sailed in the Indian mainstream on GST but resorted to modify the new tax regime for its implementation in the State.
“One of the safeguards in the modified GST included the retention of Lakhanpur Toll Plaza with a motive to impose additional “Jazia” on all pilgrims, tourists besides goods and services entering the State of J&K,” he said and termed this as violative of the principle of ‘One tax, One Nation’. He further questioned the exclusion of cross LoC trade from the purview of GST.
Divulging that several taxation laws like Central Excise duty and Central Sales Tax were adopted in the past by the non BJP Govts in their original form without any hue and cry, Singh rued that despite Saffron party’s rule at the Centre and in the State, it was a matter of shame that the GST like in other States was not implemented in J&K in its original form on the midnight of July 1, 2017.
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