In a fervent display of opposition, leaders from the INDIA alliance gathered outside Makar Dwar in Parliament to protest the recently imposed 18% GST on health and life insurance premiums. The demonstration saw prominent figures including Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, join the ranks of those voicing their discontent.
JMM MP Mahua Maji was among the key speakers, criticizing the Modi government’s decision. “Modi govt implements anything without thinking…if 18% GST is imposed on the health sector, the middle class will be affected by this the most…this is a big injustice to the country…therefore INDIA alliance held a protest here. This fight will continue until GST on the health sector is reduced,” Maji declared.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor also voiced his concerns, emphasizing the unfairness of the new tax on essential services. “You can’t really impose GST on something as essential as life insurance. Govt has announced a policy of life insurance and health insurance for all by 2047, and now they are taxing in such a way that there is no possibility to ever do that. We already have the highest out-of-pocket expenses in health, and now you also want 18% GST, which is not fair to people,” Tharoor asserted. He also highlighted additional grievances, including the long-awaited promise of an AIIMS in Kerala, which has yet to be fulfilled since 2014.
Adding to the chorus of criticism, Congress MP Pramod Tiwari condemned the tax’s impact on vulnerable individuals. “If a person is unwell or has met with an accident, he is struggling and you are taxing such a person. Looting a struggling person like this is wrong… Gadkari himself wrote regarding this and demanded a rollback…we are raising this issue in the interest of people,” Tiwari said.
The protest reflects growing frustration among opposition leaders regarding the government’s fiscal policies and their impact on the common citizen, particularly in the context of essential services. The INDIA alliance has pledged to continue their efforts until the GST on health and life insurance is reconsidered and potentially rolled back.