Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) on Wednesday attacked the Central Government for shrinkage in the Indian economy and said the Government is not returning the State's share in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) collected during the first quarter of the financial year at the time when the State Government is facing several financial and economic crisis.
Addressing a press meet at the party headquarter, JMM General Secretary and Spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya said that around Rs 1 lakh crore is due on the Centre through various sources, Rs 65,000 crore due on Coal Companies and Sail and Rs 2481 crore of GST but the Central Government is not returning it.
"During the GST Council meeting of the Finance Ministers of the States with the Union Finance Minister, in which the latter said that it is an act of God and the Central Government can't help. In 2017, when the Central Government was implementing GST it had said that it will repay till five years the loss incurred by the State Governments by GST.
The five years are far away. The Government is showing its real character in only two years and we can easily understand what will happen in 2022," he added. "In the federal structure of the Government, from time to time the Central Government helps the State Governments by special packages during times of crisis, but we are not demanding any package from the Government. We only want it to get our dues, which the Central Government is not giving," said Bhattachrya.
Attacking Prime Minister, Narendra Modi for poor management of COVID 19, Bhattachrya said that when the positive cases were around 1 thousand mark on March 24, without proper plan Prime Minister suddenly announced lockdown across the Country, which left daily wage earners in disarray.
"They were were living in other states for earning in course of returning home with family and small children on their foot, many people died between their journey. Now the cases crossed 35 lakhs mark and the Central Government is holding examinations of IIT-GEE.
The Government is playing with the lives of the students," he added. Mocking at the Central Government for the fall in GDP the party General Secretary said that on the one hand the Country's GDP has decreased to almost 24 per cent and on the other hand Ambani-Adani recorded 35 per cent growth in their wealth.
How it is happening everyone knows, he added. Replying to the question on the helpline number issued by the State BJP leaders for the students Bhattacharya said that the party is issuing helpline numbers to spread confusion. He said that it is doing all this work for purpose of spreading chaos outside the examination centre.