TRS MPs demand release of GST dues

Demanding release of pending funds including GST share to the States immediately, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) MPs along with Shiv Sena and Trinamool Congress (TMC) members, stalled the proceedings in Parliament on Wednesday.

TRS MPs who served an adjournment notice in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, also staged a protest at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi on the Parliament premises, in this regard.

Soon after the Question Hour commenced in the Lok Sabha, TRS members stood up with posters raising slogans and demanding release of the GST dues. They were joined by the members of TMC and Shiv Sena. However, Speaker Om Birla ruled that he would allow them to ventilate their opinion on the subject during the Zero Hour. MPs Nama Nageshwar Rao from TRS, Arvind Sawant and Vinayak Raut from Shiv Sena were on their feet trying to seek the Chair’s attention.

The Rajya Sabha proceedings were also adjourned for nearly an hour after TRS MPs along with other Opposition parties caused an uproar over delay in release of the GST payments to the States.

Speaking to media persons during their protest at Mahatma Gandhi statue, TRS Lok Sabha leader Nama Nageshwara Rao said the Centre owes around Rs 29,891 crore to Telangana State including Rs 4,531 crore of GST dues during the current financial



year. 

Besides Rs 19,205 crore recommended by NITI Aayog towards Mission Bhagiratha and another Rs 5,000 crore towards Mission Kakatiya, the Centre did not release funds amounting to Rs 450 crore under Backward Region Grant Funds (BRGF), Rs 313 crore recommended by Finance Commission for rural development, and Rs 393 crore under urban local bodies grants among others.

“We made repeated requests to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Cabinet Ministers and also officials in the Central Government, but in vain. They have not responded to our just demand for release of pending funds which are essential for development of any State. How can the nation develop without development of the States which are being deprived of their due share in funds?” Nageshwara Rao said.

TRS Parliamentary Party chairman and TRS secretary general K Keshava Rao said rather than supporting a young State like Telangana which was one of the major States feeding the Centre’s treasury, the Union Government was not releasing necessary funds due to the State. He said the State government had been waiting for release of pending funds for past six years, but there had been no response from the Centre. He said the TRS would continue its protests for its due share in GST.