Stalin appreciates non-NDA CMs on GST stance, urges them to vote against borrowing options proposed by Centre
Oct 09, 2020
Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], October 9 : Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) working President MK Stalin on Thursday wrote a letter to non-NDA (National Democratic Alliance) Chief Ministers appreciating their stance on GST compensation and urged them to vote against the two borrowing options proposed by the Union government at the GST Council Meeting on October 5.
"Your efforts in standing united to uphold federalism are greatly appreciated. When the Union has moral and legal obligation to pay the States, proposing we should borrow to substitute for their non-payment is a travesty of both States' rights and Justice," he wrote in the letter.
Stalin mentioned the CAG Report for the fiscal year 2018-2019, and said that report shows that the Union Government has "illegitimately transferred funds of Rs 47,272 crores" from the "GST compensation account to the Consolidated Funds of India" during the 2017-18, and 2018-19.
"The possibility of such illegitimate transfers for the past fiscal years (2019-2020) remains," he said.
DMK chief further urged the Chief Ministers to hold the Union government to its duty and its commitments to the CAG, and asked the government to reimburse the pending amount immediately, and initiate State's compensation payments from this deposit.
"The additional funds required to honour the Unions' legal obligations for the year can be borrowed directly into the compensation account from the market or the RBI, with the Union government serving as guarantor for its eventual repayment," he said.
Stalin later tweeted a copy of the letter from his official account, and mentioned Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, Chief Minister of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister of Punjab Captain (Retired) Amarinder Singh, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, Chief Minister of Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister of Jharkhand Hemant Soren, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and Chief Minister of Puducherry V Narayanasamy.
"I wrote a letter to Telangana Chief Minister, Chief Minister of Kerala, Chief Minister of Punjab, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister, Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Delhi Chief Minister, Chief Minister of Jharkhand, West Bengal Chief Minister, and Chief Minister of Puducherry appreciating their stance on GST compensation and urged them to vote against the borrowing options proposed by the Centre at the GST Council meet," he tweeted.
