The recent announcement of reduced GST rates has ignited a fiery political debate in Karnataka, pitting the BJP against the ruling Congress government. The BJP challenged the Congress to reduce its state-level taxes in response to the central government’s move, while the Congress vehemently accused the Centre of burdening citizens with excessively high GST rates over the past eight years, claiming this led to the closure of many Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
Leading the charge, Assembly Opposition Leader R. Ashok celebrated the new GST regime by distributing sweets in Mandya. He swiftly criticized the Congress government, alleging that it had increased taxes on 25 different goods and services within the last two years. Ashok further claimed that these tax hikes were a desperate measure by the Congress to fund its expensive guarantee schemes, which require over ₹60,000 crore. He argued that the poor and middle-class citizens of Karnataka are now shouldering the burden of these “indiscriminate” tax increases and urged the state government to implement tax reductions immediately. BJP leaders and workers echoed this sentiment, conducting similar public outreach efforts across Karnataka.
In a sharp counter-attack, RDPR and IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge dismissed the BJP’s claims, branding their attempt to take credit for reduced GST rates as “insensitive.” He likened the situation to pushing people into a well and then offering a ladder, criticizing the BJP for not acknowledging that they were the ones who initially imposed the high taxes. Kharge voiced serious concerns about the economy’s downturn and the widespread closure of MSMEs over the last eight years, directly attributing these issues to the central government’s “draconian” tax policies. He insisted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi must take responsibility for these economic impacts. Kharge also highlighted that the Centre only acted after persistent demands from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who had famously labeled GST as “Gabbar Singh Tax.” He concluded by accusing the BJP of shamelessly claiming credit for merely reversing their own previously inflated tax rates, driven by public outcry rather than genuine concern.