Mangaluru: BJP’s GST cut campaign a gimmick ahead of elections, says MLC Manjunath Bhandari
Mangalore Today News Network
Mangaluru, Sep 25, 2025: Criticizing the BJP, MLC Dr. Manjunath Bhandari said the ongoing campaign over GST reduction is nothing but a gimmick ahead of the Bihar elections. Addressing a press meet at the Dakshina Kannada District Congress office on Thursday, he questioned the Centre on where the huge sums collected from the poor through GST over the past eight years had been spent.
He said the unscientific GST implemented in 2017 was celebrated as a global model, but today the BJP is campaigning over reducing it, which exposes their hypocrisy. He recalled that when former PM Manmohan Singh proposed a simplified GST during his tenure, the BJP had opposed it, even in its 2014 manifesto. Later, when the BJP introduced GST in 2017, Congress had rightly called it a burden on the poor — Rahul Gandhi famously labeling it the “Gabbar Singh Tax.”
Dr. Bhandari also pointed out that his own college hostel had paid ₹2 crore under GST and questioned whether the Centre would refund the amount now. He alleged that under the “Make in India” scheme, 80% of raw materials for electronics and other industries continue to be imported from China, raising doubts about the government’s claims.
He further noted that BJP supporters are spreading misleading messages on social media crediting GST cuts to the Modi government while ignoring its origins. “This is why we call them the blind followers of WhatsApp University,” he said.
On the issue of fee hikes at Kateel Sri Durgaparameshwari Temple, he clarified that the increase had no connection with the government, as the temple committee had revised the rates after 14 years. He alleged that the BJP uses misinformation to target Congress while enjoying immunity when its own representatives make similar claims.
Urging the public to stay alert, Dr. Bhandari said people must recognize how the BJP manipulates autonomous institutions and safeguard democracy from such practices.