Addressing the post-Budget 2023 discussion in Jaipur on Monday, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that petrol and diesel can be brought under the purview of GST (Goods and Services Tax) if the GST council takes a call in this regard.
She also explained questions several questions, including petrol-diesel prices, inflation, rising repo rates and other issues during the post-budget press conference.
Responding to a question on bringing petrol and diesel under the GST ambit, the Finance Minister said, as quoted by IANS, “Petrol and diesel can be taken under the GST if the GST council, which is not governed by any one government but finance ministers of all states, takes the call.”
She said that the Central government has made its intent clear by saying that they will put it as an item under GST. “Now the GST council should take a call and let there be an ‘open charcha’, said Sitharaman.
The Finance Minister also lashed out at the Congress for bringing allegations of vindictive approach. She said, as quoted by IANS, “Investigative agencies like ED, CBI and others do a huge big homework for quite some time and when they have necessary prime facie material in their hands, after having sent a number of questionnaires and getting partial complete, or no reply, they go. It can’t be done overnight by any instinct.”
“It’s strange that a party’s past presidents, on money matters or corruption are all out on bail and that is through courts. And they speak of vindictive politics,” said Sitharaman.
“Each agency going there has been bringing tangible material… some of which has been pictured by the media,” she said adding that instead of accusing people of vindictiveness, the Congress should explain to people and its own plenary as to why their people are out on bail by the court.
She said that he Congress party should not speak at all on corruption and then bring in the matter of vindictiveness. “It is a shame, one after the other, every Congress government has come and gone out of power on the issues related to corruption,” she said while firing salvos at the Congress.
