'His Line Was Breaking': Anurag Thakur On WB Finance Minister Alleging Being Ignored At GST Council Meeting

Anurag Thakur stated that Amit Mitra did not have a stable video conferencing connection throughout the meeting, adding that the Revenue Secretary informed him that his line was breaking and he was not audible.

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New Delhi: Minister of State (MoS) in the Finance Ministry Anurag Thakur has presented clarification over the remarks of West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra, who claimed that he was not allowed to speak at the end of the GST Council meeting on Saturday.

In a series of tweets, Anurag Thakur on Saturday stated that in his experience as MoS in the last two years, he had not seen Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman cut off anyone during the GST Council meeting. "She has patiently given each and every speaker as much time as they needed, even if it meant that discussions went on for long hours," he wrote.

The response came after Amit Mitra claimed that he repeatedly tried to raise objections after Nirmala Sitharaman announced the GST Council's decision, but his "voice was muzzled as the Secretary brought the meeting to a close and the virtual link was cut off".

Anurag Thakur stated that Amit Mitra did not have a stable video conferencing connection throughout the meeting, adding that the Revenue Secretary informed him that his line was breaking and he was not audible.

"Further, during the speech made by the Uttar Pradesh Finance Minister, nobody heard Amit Mitra speak up nor did he ask to have his opinion heard. Other members can attest to this," Anurag Thakur wrote.

At the end of the discussion when the Union Finance Minister invited the Council to add their comments, the West Bengal minister remained silent.

"Amit Mitra again remained silent and did not speak up. The Finance Minister has never stifled dissent in the GST Council. It is unbecoming of a senior member of the Council to suggest that this has happened. The GST Council embodies the collective spirit of all states towards debate in a healthy manner; it has been and shall continue," he concluded.

On Saturday, Nirmala Sitharaman said that recommendations of the Group of Ministers (GoM) set up to look into tax relief on Covid-19 medical supplies have been accepted by the GST Council.

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) rate has been reduced from 12 percent to 5 percent on Covid testing kits, medical-grade oxygen, and ventilators. For ambulances, the GST rate has been reduced from 28 percent to 12 percent and for hand sanitisers from 18 percent to 5 percent. These rates will be valid till September 30.