Sanjay Singh said: "This rising inflation has shaken the life of the common man".(File)
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament (MP) Sanjay Singh on Tuesday gave an adjournment motion notice under Rule 267 to discuss the increased Goods and Services Tax (GST) on food items and rising inflation.
"With your request, I would like to inform you that the inflation in our country is touching the new sky every day. This rising inflation has shaken the life of the common man. Despite this, the government has done the work of snatching the morsel from the mouth of every person including the poor and middle class by increasing the rates of GST," Sanjay Singh said in his notice.
"Sir, today it has happened for the first time since independence that now people will have to pay 5 per cent tax on flour. The government did not spare any of the pulses, curd, lassi and rice. The government has increased the tax from 5 per cent to 8 per cent not only on food but on everything needed by the common man. Petrol and diesel prices have already broken the back of the common man, while the rupee has crossed 180 against the dollar. The government has put the economy of the country in very bad condition," he said.
Pointing out that the AAP government in Delhi has made everything free, the Rajya Sabha MP slammed the centre and said that the government is continuously bringing down the country's economy to the pits for the benefit of the people.
"On one hand, there is a government of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal ji in Delhi has made its budget profitable even after freeing electricity, water, education and travel, and on the other hand, it is the central government which is continuously bringing down the country's economy to the pits for the benefit of the people. The backlash of inflation is putting the burden on the top," he said.
"It is a matter of great surprise that on one hand, the government is looting all the money from the pockets of the poor and middle-class people and on the other hand it is waiving off the loans of few capitalists worth lakhs and crores of rupees," Sanjay Singh added.
However, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said the 5 per cent tax is being levied on wheat flour and other items after nod from all states, including non-BJP ruled states.
In a series of tweets, Nirmala Sitharaman said states levied sales tax or VAT on foodgrains in the pre-Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime and the present levy on cereals, pulses, flour, curd and lassi is an exercise to curb tax leakage.
The GST council in its 47th meeting had recommended to reconsider the approach for the imposition of GST on specified food items like pulses, cereals, flour and other edible products.
Meanwhile, both the Houses of Parliament witnessed two adjournments over protests of opposition members on price rise.
The House had seen an adjournment on the first day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)