The government, however, urged the Congress and other parties to reconsider their decision, saying that the tax reform is being undertaken with the consensus of all political parties.
Even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is preparing to take centre stage on the midnight of Friday to launch the nationwide Goods and Services Tax (GST), the country's biggest tax reform, in the presence of President Pranabh Mukherjee, the Congress, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Left parties on Thursday decided to stay away from the special midnight meeting, convened in the historic Central Hall of Parliament.
At the stroke of midnight, a gong will announce the replacement of about 20 central and state taxes to unify the $2-trillion Indian economy into a single market. The government, however, urged the Congress and other parties to reconsider their decision, saying that the tax reform is being undertaken with the consensus of all political parties.
The Congress was in a dilemma over attending the event. There was almost a division within leaders, as a section felt that the party should take ownership of the GST, as it was its own brainchild, which has now been taken over by the ruling BJP. But after a two-hour meeting headed by Congress President Sonia Gandhi, the party announced a boycott of the midnight show. The leaders alleged that it trivialises the celebration of India's independence from the same place in 1947, and ignores the hard realities faced by farmers, minorities, Dalits, women and others, and the worsening internal security and attacks on the borders.
The Congress is more peeved that the government was trying to recreate the midnight of August 14-15, 1947. The PM will launch the tax reform from the same podium from where India's first PM, Jawaharlal Nehru, gave his historic "tryst with destiny" speech to declare India's independence at the midnight of August 14-15, 1947. Since then, only twice have there been sittings under similar environs in the Central Hall, in 1972 and 1997, to mark the silver jubilee and golden jubilee of India's independence.
Also, while the government has invited two former PMs — Dr Manmohan Singh and HD Deve Gowda — to share the dais with the President and Modi, they have not been given time to speak.
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