Sonia leads 7 CMs to take on govt over GST dues, exam row

Special GST Council meeting today

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 26

Two days after surviving a challenge to her leadership in the party, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi was back in action today as she got chief ministers of seven states ruled by non-NDA parties to pledge unity against the Centre on issues of GST dues and the conduct of JEE (Main) and NEET-UG.

• Also read: Borrow from market amp; pay dues, states to insist

Refusal to pay dues amounts to betrayal

Centre hasn't paid the mandatory GST compensation of 14% to states. This refusal is nothing short of betrayal. — Sonia Gandhi, Congress Chief

Testing times: An NSUI member during a protest in New Delhi against the government decision to hold NEET, JEE and other exams. PTI

In stark contrast to Monday when she sat frigidly through a Congress Working Committee meeting that trashed a letter few leaders had earlier written seeking a "visible party chief", Sonia wore an effortless look today. She allowed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to conduct the virtual meeting even when the latter kept saying, "But you are the senior leader, you should conduct the meeting."

Punjab staring at Rs 25k crore deficit

We all must meet the Prime Minister. How will states run if the Centre does not pay us? — Capt Amarinder Singh, Punjab CM

In the end, the CMs of Maharashtra (Uddhav Thackeray), Jharkhand (Hemant Soren) and four Congress-ruled states (Punjab's Capt Amarinder Singh, Rajasthan's Ashok Gehlot, Chhattisgarh's Bhupesh Baghel and Puducherry's V Narayanasamy) unanimously agreed to the need of filing a petition in the apex court for review of an earlier order rejecting the postponement of the JEE and NEET-UG.

Distribute disaster funds to states

Give states money from disaster funds — Mamata Banerjee, West Bengal CM

Mamata and Capt Amarinder led the demand for urgent legal recourse on exams after Sonia said the Centre was dealing with the issue "very uncaringly". Capt Amarinder cited the rising Covid infections in Punjab to argue that even UGC's exams should be postponed.

Sonia earlier slammed the Centre for not paying the mandatory GST compensation of 14 per cent for the current year to states, noting, "This refusal is nothing short of betrayal by the government." All CMs at the meet agreed to jointly petition the President and the PM on the issue and vociferously demand payment of dues in tomorrow's GST Council conference.

The meeting today helped lay ground for opposition unity with Sonia explaining its timing, "Parliament is expected to meet in three weeks. I thought we should have this interaction so that we have a coordinated approach."

The meeting happened in a relaxed environment with Sonia mostly listening except to say "I agree", when Mamata, Soren and Uddhav pressed for "opposition unity against the Centre and its agencies".

"We must meet more often and not just when there is a crisis. If we are united, even crisis will fear us. Let us decide whether we will fight the Centre or fear it," said Uddhav while Mamata earlier said the government was using its agencies to intimidate the Opposition.

Sonia earlier termed National Education Policy 2020 a "setback for progressive, secular and scientific values", saying "it should worry us".

The Punjab and Chhattisgarh governments have formed committees to study the NEP and its financial and general impact on the states.

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