Accusing main stream political parties of creating confusion over Goods and Services Tax (GST) row, AIP supremo and MLA Langate, Er. Rasheed, on Sunday, said that the state leadership is yet again letting down the people and finding lame excuses to allow Centre to implement what it wants to do.

Er. Rasheed said that Centre is less worried about the financial implications and losses and more concerned in integrating Jammu and Kashmir with rest of the country.

He said, “During all the meetings held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and Muzaffar Hussain Beigh, BJP representatives constantly opposed a separate GST for the state, citing the reason that it will be accepting a nation within the nation. However, National Conference (NC) and PDP spent most of the time blaming each other.

“NC should not forget that it was Ab. Rahim rather than the then finance Minister, who was moving fast for the implementation of GST in the state. Now, when NC is out of power they are opposing the GST without explaining why they were in favour of GST earlier. Talking just about safeguarding the autonomy but not telling how it would have managed to do so, if it would have been in power, has exposed the party.

“It is certain that had Mehbooba Mufti been in the opposition she would have been playing the same dirty role what NC is doing today vis-à-vis GST. It is ironical that Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, who both want a solution to Kashmir dispute within the framework of Indian constitution, have not met even once, to reach a consensus over the GST issue and are both trying to show false sympathy to people of state.”

He said that the Congress’s role is even more suspicious and dubious. He asked resistance leadership also not to pass the ball in the court of civil society and traders, but call all legal and constitutional experts besides trade bodies to discuss the burning issue in detail.

Adding further, he said Union Finance Minister, Aurn Jaitley, should not show false concern to the people of the state by claiming that if GST is not implemented, Kashmiris will suffer huge losses.

He said “If Centre is so concerned about the financial implications of GST on the state, it should compensate losses on Indus Water Treaty, return all power projects without any conditions, allow free trade from Jammu and Kashmir to central Asia via Azad Kashmir and facilitate passing a separate legislation by the state assembly without directly extending Section 101 of Indian constitution to the state.”

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