GST has now come into force. Opposition must see reality and not be churlish
let there be no doubt: The success of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime rides on the personal credibility of Prime Minister Narendra Modi — much like the November 2016 demonetisation did. At the GST's historic launch from the Central Hall of Parliament at midnight (June 30-July 1), Modi said he had carried demonetisation “on his shoulders”. There was justified pride in his remark; despite the Opposition's virulent campaign against it, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won a clutch of important elections on various issues including demonetisation. The recall of high-value currency notes had led to a chaotic situation for a couple of months at least, but the situation soon stabilised. The Government believes that some level of disruption will also erupt consequent to the massive shift that has happened towards the new tax regime, but here too issues will be resolved over time and the benefits of the GST will begin to be both seen and felt. Till then, however, the trust that Prime Minister Modi enjoys of the people will have to see the Government through. It's the realisation of his personal popularity that made the Government decide to organise the grand launch through Parliament's special midnight session, with the President in attendance. The Government is confident that the GST regime will not only stabilise but also yield the results promised, and, therefore, it took the political risk of playing the event up. For this very reason, perhaps, the Congress, the left, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Trinamool Congress boycotted the event. They claimed that the Modi Government had converted the GST issue into a personal achievement and was glorifying it for petty gains. But politics cannot be ignored, nor can it be held against a regime. The fact is that after years of uncertainty, the GST is here — and it is here with the BJP-led NDA Government at the helm. No Government worth its salt would shy away from taking credit.
But the Opposition must also realise that it has done no favour to its own image by keeping away from an event which the President attended. The opposition parties which boycotted, alleged that the GST regime as rolled out was imperfect and would lead to enormous problems for the people. Nobody in the Government has claimed perfection on this score, but corrections have to be made as we progress. For the Congress personally, the decision to keep away was yet another means — like the presidential election — to demonstrate opposition unity. But like the presidential poll, this too failed to show up such unity. leaders of the Samajwadi Party (both Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav camps), the Bahujan Samaj Party, and the Nationalist Congress Party attended, breaking ranks with the Congress. Another Congress camp member, the Janata Dal (Secular), also participated — in fact, its senior-most leader and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda was seated on the stage. Besides, there was representation from Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United). There is no doubt that the boycotters will continue with their shrillness. They will gleefully play Cassandra. But they need to be more worried by the credibility deficit they face.