Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi has said that the Congress will support the Goods and Service Taxes bill in Parliament and help pass it in just "15 minutes" once government accepts the conditions set by his party.
"Compromise with the government is possible on GST, it is by sitting across the table, the government is not taking it. “The day the conditions are accepted, we will pass the GST. It will take just 15 minutes," he said during an interaction with management students hin Mumbai.
Asked about roadblocks in implementation of GST bill, Gandhi said, "It was Congress which brought in the GST legislation. The BJP then stopped GST in Parliament for seven years. Jaitley then did not allow it to pass. Narendra Modi, as CM of Gujarat, did not allow GST to pass."
"We don't want a GST where there's no cap on taxes. We want a limitation on the maximum tax that can be charged. Also, dispute resolution must be fair and neutral. I don't think its wrong of us to say that," Gandhi said.
"Jaitley doesn't have to tell me GST is good.I know its good. He doesn't have to tell me its good," Gandhi said.
"Jaitley had earlier said in an interview in England that it was the strategy of BJP to block Parliament. It is not the strategy of Congress to block Parliament," Gandhi said.
Asked what could the government do to help farmers battling agrarian crisis and deficient rainfall, Gandhi said "We have made a slow transition from agricultural economy to knowledge economy and industry economy."
Rahul Gandhi also criticized the Narendra Modi government, saying there is a contradiction in pushing for start-ups and being “intolerant”.
He said that the RSS has a very “rigid vision” for India and that start ups require free movement of ideas.
“The ruling dispensation, particularly the RSS, has a clear idea on what the world should look like. They have a vision for India which in my opinion is a very rigid vision. This country requires flexibility, openness and movement of ideas,” Gandhi said, during an interaction with management students in suburban Vile Parle here.
“There’s a huge contradiction in saying I want start ups but I will be intolerant,” the Congress leader said.
“You will fail on the economy and start up front if you are intolerant,” he said.
“Start ups require free movement of ideas. If I say you are a woman and your place is in the kitchen, I am curbing your freedom,” he said. He also charged that the BJP categorises people.
“The BJP has categories: There’s a Hindu for them, a Muslim for them, a woman for them. I don’t categorise. That’s the difference between us and them,” he said. Rahul asked students not to put labels on people, things and industries.
“Saying this is a Hindu, this is a Muslim, this is a woman…hides values,” he said, adding, “When Steve Jobs was asked what was the most important class you took, he said: Japanese calligraphy”.
Asked how could India help provide conducive atmosphere for start ups, Gandhi said, “Start ups require a whole set of eco systems that allows entrepreneurs to grow including infrastructure and regulation. The biggest problem is red tape.”
“Today, if you are a Rs 10000 crore company, you can’t easily get finance. If you are a big business, you can get around regulations and put pressure on politicians,” he said.