Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Sunday asked Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Badal to tell Punjabis why he had failed to take up the issue of exempting purchases made by the Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) for preparing ‘langar’ from imposition of Goods and Services Tax (GST) at the GST Council meeting a day before.
“It is mystifying as to why Manpreet had not taken up this issue at the GST Council as promised by him and why he had failed to explain and win this concession for the State,” said SAD MP and spokesperson Prem Singh Chandumajra.
Chandumajra said that before leaving for the GST Council meeting, Manpreet had told the mediapersons that he would take up this issue and ensure it was resolved to the satisfaction of Punjabis. “However, even as other states have won reprieve for their stakeholders by getting GST rates lowered for several items, Manpreet failed to get this sensitive issue debated and solved at the Council meeting,” he said.
Terming Manpreet’s behaviour as a ‘gross insult to Sikh sentiment’, Chandumajra said that forget presenting the State’s case for exempting langar purchases like sugar, ghee, dry milk and pulses from GST, the Finance Minister had not even offered to forgo the 50 per cent GST refund on these items so that the benefit could be passed on to the SGPC.
“All these purchases were exempt from VAT (value added tax) which has been replaced by GST during the earlier SAD- BJP Government,” he added.
Chandumajra said that by not taking up this issue and getting it resolved in favour of Punjab, Manpreet had also “disobeyed the directive and line taken by Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh”.
“Chief Minister has written a letter to the Union Finance Minister and sought this exemption for the SGPC. Manpreet was duty bound to take follow up action and get the issue resolved. Now, it is up to the Chief Minister to decide as to what action should be taken against the Finance Minister for this act of willful disobedience,” he added.