With the opposition parties in Punjab lashing out at the BJP-led Central Government over imposition of 12 per cent Goods and Services Tax (GST) on the sarais (inns) near the Golden Temple in Amritsar seeking its revocation, the saffron party’s state unit also joined the chorus on Thursday.
Punjab BJP’s senior leader Harjit Singh Grewal and BJP’s state secretary Sukhpal Saran have urged the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to withdraw the GST on sarais around Sikhs;’ holiest shrine.
Punjab BJP leaders’ call for withdrawing the GST from sarais came on the day when Aam Aadmi Party’s Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab Raghav Chadha also met the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman demanding the same. Already, the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had demanded to withdraw the decision to impose GST.
BJP state secretary Sukhpal Saran, in a letter to the Prime Minister, said that the Centre has imposed 12 per cent GST on sarais and dharamshalas built in religious places. “These inns were built with a social cause with the people’s donations, and were being run by organizations without any profit. People stay here by paying less money. In many places, it is also free of cost. Thus, respecting the sentiments of the devotees, directions should be given to withdraw this decision,” said Saran in his letter to the Prime Minister.
Grewal, on the other hand, came to the defence of the BJP-led Central Government over the issue while claiming that the decision regarding the GST on sarais was the “fault of officers”.
He claimed that the Centre had no intention to impose the GST on the sarais of Darbar Sahib. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has the highest respect for guru ghars. Sarai is not a business organization. The government will soon fix this decision...It is the fault of the officers and others,” said Grewal while apologising for the decision.
Meanwhile, AAP MP Chadha submitted a memorandum to the Union Finance Minister demanding immediate roll back of the GST on sarais and the latter has assured him that all demands will be considered seriously.
In his memorandum to the Finance Minister, Chadha said that the Central Government’s recent decision to impose 12 percent GST on sarais has caused great anguish to the followers of the Sikh religion and to devotees who travel from across the country to visit the Sri Darbar Sahib, the holy Golden Temple.
He said that all Indians are aware of the peaceful and liberating message of Ik Onkar (one God) that has been spread far and wide through the majesty of the holy Golden Temple, which provides an open house of worship for all people. More than a lakh devotees per day visit the holy shrine from across the world.
“Therefore, sarais for pilgrims are far from the concept of a hotel and the decision to impose 12 percent GST on their activities amounts to an unnecessary financial burden on the sangat (faithful). It should be immediately rolled back,” he added.
He said that collecting GST from on sarais by the Central Government cannot be a more important motive than facilitating the spiritual journey of devotees who come to worship at the holy Golden Temple. This step of the government reminds us of the Mughal era when Aurangzeb imposed jizya tax on pilgrims, he added.