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Journalism of Courage
Referring to China’s grand Victory Day parade in Beijing, senior Congress leader Jai Narayan Vyas on Thursday raised questions on the Central government’s foreign policy.
“Invitations were sent to 26 countries. The Indian government has not made any clarification on whether India was invited or not. If the Indian Prime Minister was rushing to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, then this event (Victory Day parade) was an occasion for China to demonstrate its military power to the world, and especially to the US. While China’s close allies like Russia, North Korea, Iran, Zimbabwe and Pakistan were present, the Indian Prime Minister was conspicuous by his absence,” former Cabinet Minister Jai Narayan Vyas stated during a press conference held at Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan.
On Wednesday, the Victory Day parade of more than 12,000 soldiers, 100 military aircraft, hundreds of other vehicles, and China’s advanced military power were a special attraction at Tiananmen Square. As many as 26 countries were invited to participate in the parade, including India’s neighbours Nepal, Myanmar, Maldives, and Pakistan, the Congress pointed out.
Vyas said, “In the recent meeting with Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the SCO summit, important issues like the border dispute were also kept out of the discussion. India rushed to get closer to China and Russia due to deteriorating relations with America, but this did not achieve much success, an example of which is the absence of the PM from the Victory Day Parade. This is an example of exactly how close China considers us…”
‘GST rate cut should benefit consumers, not industrialists’
On the new rates of GST, Vyas said that the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, used to repeatedly talk about reform. “Some BJP-ruled states have also expressed concerns about revenue loss… The benefit of the GST cut should go to the public, not to the companies. For example, on Rs 5 biscuit, 90 paise GST was being charged as per 18 per cent. After the GST cut, 5 percent i.e. 25 paise GST will be levied on it. Thus, the direct benefit of 65 paise should go to the consumer and not to the industrialists… The government should set up a mechanism and implement this matter,” Vyas stated.
The Congress said that the government, “even under compulsion”, has taken the initiative to reduce GST keeping in mind the demands of the Opposition and the sentiments of the people. “The credit for GST reduction should not be given to any one person because the majority of the members in the GST Council belong to the Opposition states. The Opposition states say that companies should not be allowed to profiteer by taking advantage of low taxes. The full benefit of the tax cut should reach the consumers directly,” Vyas said.
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