By The Hindu Bureau

Copyright thehindu

Accusing the Congress of having looted people’s hard-earned money during its tenure, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the nation was celebrating a “savings festival” following his government’s reforms in the goods and services tax (GST). He claimed that high taxes and inflation had peaked under the Congress regime.

Mr. Modi was addressing a rally at Napla in Rajasthan’s Banswara district after laying the foundation stones for a slew of projects worth a collective ₹1.22 lakh crore, including a nuclear power plant. “The items of daily use have become cheaper… Kitchen expenses have reduced,” he said, referring to the recent GST rate cut.

“When you blessed Modi, our government stopped this loot [of Congress]. That is why the Congress is annoyed with me,” he said. “Before 2014, the Congress government used to charge ₹31 as tax on every purchase of ₹100. The cost of the same items increased by only ₹18 when the GST was implemented in 2017.”

After the reformed GST structure took effect on September 22, Mr. Modi said all goods had become cheaper, encouraging people to buy electronic gadgets, vehicles, and household items. He also urged citizens to adopt the Swadeshi model in trade and consumption to strengthen self-reliance.

Reacting to the Prime Minister’s remarks, the Pradesh Congress Committee said Mr. Modi was “patting himself on the back” for GST reforms, while the NDA government had allegedly burdened people through improper implementation. PCC president Govind Singh Dotasra said, “Mr. Modi only criticised the previous Congress government, whereas he should have tendered an apology for the loot of GST.”

Leader of Opposition Tika Ram Jully urged Mr. Modi to clarify his stand on Central taxes on petrol and diesel during his regime. “In 2014, the Central excise duty was ₹9.48 per litre on petrol and ₹3.56 on diesel. It reached ₹32.98 and ₹31.83, respectively, in 2020 under the Modi government. People are forced to buy fuel at high prices,” Mr. Jully said.

Mr. Modi also highlighted the government’s electrification efforts since 2014, stating that electricity had been provided to every village and free connections given to 2.5 crore households. “In contrast, the Congress government failed to pay attention to electricity. There were no electricity poles in 18,000 villages even after 70 years of Independence,” he said.

“Power cuts were frequent during the Congress rule. It was considered a big deal if there was electricity for even four to five hours in the villages. New industries could not be established… Our government changed all this after 2014, making life easier for people,” the Prime Minister added.

Mr. Modi criticised the previous Congress government in Rajasthan, alleging rampant corruption in the Jal Jeevan Mission, paper leaks, and high crime against women. He said law and order had improved and development accelerated after the BJP assumed power in 2023.

The projects launched included initiatives in renewable energy, water supply, power, roads, health, and infrastructure, including the Mahi-Banswara nuclear power project, a 2,800 MW facility to be built at a cost of ₹42,000 crore. He also virtually flagged off two Vande Bharat trains from Jodhpur and Bikaner and an express train from Udaipur.

Among those present were Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, Rajasthan Governor Haribhau Bagade, Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, Deputy CMs Prem Chand Bairwa and Diya Kumari, former CM Vasundhara Raje, and BJP State president Madan Rathore.