Opposition's Vote Chori Allegation Rocks Indian Polity

By SANTOSH MOHANTY

Leader of the Opposition (LOP) Rahul Gandhi at a press conference in August this year has levelled serious charges against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that it is involved in 'Vote Chori'(vote theft) in a number of constituencies in the country. Gandhi alleged that it was most glaring in Karnataka's Mahadevpura.

This explosive allegation of the LOP of India has shocked everybody as Gandhi alleged that the Election Commission of India (ECI) is hand in glove with the BJP to indulge in large scale manipulation or tampering voter rolls.

The Allegation: Gandhi has alleged that the voter rolls were manipulated with insertion of duplicate names, addresses not found or fake. He alleged that the act was approved by the ECI. Gandhi alleged that glaring discrepancies were found in Aland in Karnataka and Rajura in Maharashtra’s Chandrapur district and claimed that there was mass deletion and manipulation of voter names.

However, the ECI has brushed aside the allegations as misleading and baseless. It said it was never possible to delete names online as the whole process involved verification by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) after serving notice to the voters. The ECI has even dared Gandhi to file an affidavit or apologize to the nation  and made it clear that there was no third option for him. But, the ECI's direction to Gandhi to file an affidavit or apologize has not gone down well with other political parties and even intellectuals who had decried its very motive. 

Political Upsurge:

The BJP leaders have alleged that the leader of the Opposition is acting in an irresponsible manner. They alleged that Rahul Gandhi is subverting Indian democratic system and deriding the election officials who have toiled hard to ensure free and fair elections in the country. Contrary to this, Gandhi's claims are backed by exact figures of irregularity in a number of states like Karnataka and Maharashtra. The BJP overlooks this.

Indian Democracy In Peril?

Experts are of the opinion that whether proven or not, Gandhi's allegations have far reaching consequences  in the Indian polity. This is likely to erode the public faith in the electoral system if left unresolved. One will observe that the vote chori has become an issue with the Opposition parties in India as the leaders have become united demanding action against the ECI. Observers have maintained that a third party audit must be done to study in detail the claim of Congress on the matter as it is of very severe nature.

Whatever be the situation, Gandhi's allegations on the fairness of the electoral system has put question marks on the credibility of ECI. It is the foremost duty of the ECI to come forward on its own to put to rest the aspersions cast on it. It is advisable for ECI to try its best to convince the Indian citizens that their right to vote has not been compromised in any way. 

How Beneficial Next Gen GST Will Be For Common Man?

By SANTOSH MOHANTY

The Next Gen GST or GST 2.0 has become effective with the sole intention of providing relief to the common man of the country. The reforms in tax slabs have been carried out after long eight years. During these eight years, Indian citizens, particularly the common man, virtually paid through their noses for goods and services. The Opposition leaders of the country have been demanding the scrapping of GST terming it as Gabbar Singh Tax as prices of essential commodities skyrocketed due to implementation of different slabs such as 5, 12,18 and 28 percent.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has finally bowed down to the pressure of the Opposition leaders particualary that of Rahul Gandhi of Congress party to carry out reforms for the benefit of poor people of India. PM Modi in his address to the nation has described the reforms as 'Bachat Ka Ustsab' or a celebration for savings. But, only time will tell how the savings of the poor people are protected with the implementation of the Next Gen GST.

What Is GST?

It stands for Goods and Services Tax and was introduced in the country by the Modi Governemnt in 2017. At that time it was widely broadcast, telecast and written that the government had introduced the measure as part of one nation one tax system. But, over the years, the GST turned out to be very complicated for small time businessmen and traders in the country due to multipliticity in slabs. The government imposed taxes on essential food items rising their prices enormously. It was widely believed that the Modi Government was in favour of corporate friends and the GST was implemented in the country with the sole purpose of protecting their interest.   

What Is Next Gen Reforms?

The Central government has declared that the reformes will provide relief to consumers, particulary those who are coming under lower income and middle class. It said a number of items such as food, milk and paneer, household essentials, health-care goods, and education-related items will now become cheaper.  The reduction in tax system will also benefit agriculture and rural sectors in the country, the government said.

According to the government, GST reduction on different goods will encourage more people to purchase more and this will increase demand leading to growth of the economy. The Finance Minister has said the rate cuts will inject about Rs 2 lakh crore into the economy.

Revenue Loss To Govt:

Both the Centre and state governments will incur losses due to rate cuts which is roughly estimated to be nearly Rs 50,000 crore annually. Economists said that there is likelihood is that the rate cuts will affect the structures upstream. They said transition from one slab to another involves issues that will affect the  traders, retailers as well as manufacturers for updating systems acquired under older rates. Swift actions are needed to resolve the disputes leading to rate cuts of goods and services.

Everybody knows that the Modi Government has announced the rate cuts of essential goods and services keeping an eye on Bihar election in two months and subsequent polls later in other states. This move might be populist, but everything depends on how the measures are implemented to benefit the poor.

Conclusion

Finally the corrections to the GST has been made and this is an welcome move by the Modi Government at the Centre. The tax system has been simplified to provide relief to the citizens, mostly the common man.

Despite the reforms, the government has to ensure the implementation of the Next Gen system has to benefit across society, particularly the marginalized sections of the society. The reformative measures have to be carried out well, with good intent and put into good practice.