Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has recently hit out at the central government and the BJP, urging them to withdraw the newly imposed GST rates on pre-packed and labeled food. Not just this, but Kejriwal also said that Delhi is the only place where the price of daily commodities are low.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal on Monday demanded the Centre to withdraw the Goods and Services Tax (GST) it has freshly imposed on pre-packed and labeled food items.
"The entire country is facing a steep price rise and the Centre has increased the cost of food items by imposing GST on them. I demand the Centre to withdraw it," Kejriwal told reporters.
A 5 percent GST rate on pre-packed and labeled food items such as cereals, pulses and flour weighing less than 25 kg kicked in on Monday.
Delhi is the only state in the country that is providing relief to people from price rises by providing them health, education, water, electricity, travel, and other basic facilities free of cost, Kejriwal said.
According to the Union finance ministry, "GST would apply on such specified goods where the pre-packaged commodity is supplied in packages containing a quantity of less than or equal to 25 kilograms."
Further, Kejriwal also issued a clarification on his trip to Singapore, saying that there is a “political reason” behind the delay in permission for his visit overseas.
The Delhi chief minister said he was specially invited to the World Cities Summit in Singapore by the government of the country, where he would present the Delhi Model before world leaders and bring laurels to India.
Arvind Kejriwal, as per PTI reports, said, “I am not a criminal, I am a chief minister and a free citizen of the country. There was no legal basis to stop me from visiting Singapore so there appears to be a political reason behind this.”
(With PTI inputs)
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