Lucknow: While several Opposition parties have reportedly decided to boycott the Goods and Services Tax (GST) launch event, the Samajwadi Party on Friday finally announced to participate in the function, scheduled at Friday midnight at Parliament's Central Hall.
Speaking to ANI, Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Agrawal asserted, "We oppose the Good Service Tax. It's a black law but since President Pranab Mukherjee will attend the launch, we will go as we do not want to create controversy."
Meanwhile, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), who has backed the GST, today questioned the political parties for "creating a fuss over the launch event and when they unanimously passed the uniform tax regime in the Parliament".
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is also believed to skip the event. However, senior leader and Bihar Energy Minister Bijender Prasad Yadav will represent the Janata Dal (United) on his behalf. It is to be noted that after Telangana, Bihar was the second state to adopt bills that were required for the passing of GST.
The Congress Party yesterday said that it would boycott the midnight meeting, convened by the government, on the implementation of the GST. Senior party leader and former Cabinet Minister Anand Sharma that Congress' skip is an "ideological boycott" for many reasons.
Besides Congress, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) have also decided to boycott the event.
Ahead of the historic rollout of the GST that is scheduled to take effect from midnight, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu earlier in the day urged the Congress Party to 'realise and rethink' their stand and join the government for the midnight Parliament session.
The GST, which is slated to roll out today midnight, will bring the Indian economy under a single tax bracket.
