Non-inclusion of Congress-ruled state members in GoM for GST cut against "the spirit of cooperative federalism": Baghel

New Delhi: Strongly reacting to the constitution of group of ministers by the GST Council for exemption from tax on essential goods related to Coronavirus, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel today said that non-inclusion of members of Congress-ruled states in the committee is against the spirit of cooperative federalism.

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council has constituted an eight-member panel of ministers, which does not include any member from Congress-ruled states, for exemption from tax on essential goods related to Corona.

He said that ministers from Congress-ruled states, who are part of the GST Council, should be included in the GoM (Group of Ministers) constituted to discuss the GST rates on COVID relief material. It is unfortunate "not to include any members of Congress-ruled states" and is against the spirit of cooperative federalism.

For the last several days, the Congress party has been continuously demanding for exemption of GST on vaccines, medicines and other devices to effectively combat the Covid pandemic at all levels.

In the meeting of the GST Council also, the Ministers of Congress-ruled states had proposed a relaxation of GST in this regard to 0.1 per cent rate instead of 5 per cent. An eight-member committee was constituted by the chairman of the GST Council to look into the matter when no consensus was achieved in the council.

Mr. Baghel said that not a single Congress-ruled state's minister has been made a member in the committee "deliberately" so that this demand is not considered.

Members of the Congress party, including Smt. Sonia Gandhi, have continuously raised this issue, while Chief Minister Mr. Bhupesh Baghel had also emphasized this prominently in the video conference with the Prime Minister, urging him for exemption in GST in goods related to Covid-19.