Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) on Tuesday lambasted the BJP-led government, alleging that it has failed to implement long-term visionary policies for ushering in good governance and rather employing piecemeal measures like 100-day programme/action points.
Speaking to the media at Congress Bhawan, MPCC vice president L Tilotama said that good governance requires long-term policies and programmes to mitigate the sufferings of the people.
She accused the BJP-led government of causing inflation and pushing the people to extreme economic hardships. “People are made to pay the price of financial mismanagement by the government,” she said.
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She observed that the price of essential commodities like food, LPG and petroleum products have skyrocketed right after the elections to legislative assemblies of five states including Manipur. As if the calm before the storm, there was no problem of price rise ahead of the elections, she said.
The MPCC vice president further pointed out that GST is another invisible duress faced by the people, who were already battered by the Covid crisis.
She maintained that there was no downfall of small-scale industries and factories before the introduction of GST. She contended that even the compensation promised by the government has not been released so far.
Tilotama went on to assert that Manipur is facing the brunt of GST since handloom and handicraft products, and dried and fermented fish which are staples of Manipur are not exempted from GST. She lamented that the GST on textiles has been raised to 12 per cent and demanded the government to ease the people from the GST burden citing that many shops and establishments were forced to shut down.
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She said that Manipur is also burdened with debts for borrowings from the Centre. She further raised concern that all sections of the people will further be pushed to financial hardships in trying to repay the amount.
She also emphasised the need for channeling the economic system that will not lead to austerity.
