New Delhi August 7: Members of the INDIA bloc staged a protest at the Makar Dwar entrance of Parliament on Tuesday, demanding the immediate rollback of the 18% GST imposed on life and health insurance premiums, reported the Indian Express.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla criticized the demonstration, stating it violated an earlier consensus to refrain from protests at the House entrance. Despite this, MPs from various parties, including the Trinamool Congress, Congress, AAP, Samajwadi Party, and NCP, gathered with placards denouncing “tax terrorism.”
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi joined the protest, with Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge emphasizing on social media that the GST increase is a severe blow to the middle class. He noted that India’s medical inflation rate is the highest in Asia at 14%, making the GST on insurance premiums particularly burdensome.
Rahul Gandhi condemned the GST as a manifestation of the Modi government’s opportunistic tax policies, which he claimed exploit citizens during crises. Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor echoed these sentiments, questioning how the government plans to achieve “insurance for all by 2047” amid rising costs.
The issue has been a focal point for TMC MPs in Parliament, and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has also appealed to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to eliminate the GST on insurance premiums. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari similarly urged for the tax’s removal.
Speaker Birla reiterated the agreement to avoid demonstrations at Parliament entrances, urging MPs to respect the established consensus.
