CPM prods government for a meeting with Narendra Modi

Hyderabad: CPI (M) State secretary TammineniVeerabhadram demanded the State government to take an all party delegation to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Finance Minister ArunJaitley to mount pressure on the issues
adversely affecting different sectors and people of the State in the wake of introduction of Goods and Service Tax (GST).

Addressing the media here on Friday, he said that the party would organise a protest at Abids in the city on Saturday in protest against the increasing taxes on certain goods and commodities. Besides, protests would be organised at district level on Saturday and Sunday, he added.

Veerabhadram said that high slab rates on textiles, granites, and several day to day essential goods used by people under GST would burden not only small and medium scale industries but it would also hit hard poor and middle class sections in the society.

Similarly, weavers, Beedi workers and other poorer sections of the State have been reeling under economic problems as promises made by successive governments were not kept. Hiking tax under the GST on handlooms, Beedis would be fatal to such marginal sections of the Sate, he noted.

The CPI (M) leader said that imposing high taxes on seeds, fertilizers and other agriculture inputs under GST would further burden the farmers in the State who are already in trouble. Though the agriculture season has commenced farmers in the State are not able to access credit from the banks resulting in growing dependence on private money lenders. Farmers in the State are not able to withdraw their own money from the banks due to shortage of currency.