Ahmedabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party president Amit Shah and other top leaders of BJP will start campaign in Gujarat in full force after announcement of candidates, said Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in a press conference here today.

Jaitley said, the party would join another victory in the string of victories it has witnessed in Gujarat in the past.

In reply to a question on Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on Goods and Services Tax(GST), Jaitley said, ‘I clearly believe that he has no understanding of this subject. He has not studied it. Finance ministers of Congress ruled states are part of each decision pertaining to GST. These are the decisions that will benefit country’s economy and they are admired across the world. Opportunism in the time of election doesn’t indicate they have understanding of the topic.’

On demonetization, Jaitley said, ‘we have some goals attached to demonetization exercise. Congress party during its rule never waged war against black money and didn’t take any major step. Our goals were to achieve broadened taxation base, increased digital transactions and reduction in cash currency.’

In reply to another question, Jaitley said he had written to all political parties to come forward for electoral bond system which was proposed in last union budget.

On GST, Jaitley said GST is transitional change. GST council meets every month and there are two motives that revenue to the state and centre stay intact and some procedural or other burden that are reported are corrected. Jaitley said GST should not be linked to Gujarat election as it is a long term exercise, alternate of which is to go backward with 17 types of taxes, interstate check posts and inspector raj. He said the system in which tax revenue is not affected on government side and procedures are smooth and ease of doing business improves on tax-payer side is the aim of GST.

Jaitley in his initial remarks said: Gujarat is a peaceful state. The agenda of Gujarat has been development. BJP’s political ediom consistently was one of development and progress. For so many years there have been attempts to create controversies around Gujarat and cause it harm through political fights but the BJP government here didn’t escaped this trap and continued to implement its agenda successfully. Aspirational Gujarat which seeks speedy progress was the agenda in 2007 and 2012 polls. After 2012 Gujarat gave leadership to the country and new history was written. The leadership given by Gujarat is leading the entire country and making India’s image better also at global level. The direction of agenda of development that Gujarat gave is now being displayed to the world. When political history will be written, the authors will comment on these topics. We go to elections in other states too. There are states in which even today the main issues are roads, power, water, lack of teachers and education in schools, lack of healthcare facilities, lack of investment in industrial sector, social and economic indications that are weak and likewise. Gujarat has seen single minded focus under first Shri Modi and later Anandiben and Rupani.Each department moved ahead in this direction. All were aware that BJP while contesting 2017 Gujarat election would speak about where it took Gujarat, the fact which is very much visible to people here. While, our stand was very clear, on the other hand if you look at the history of Congress, they fought last three elections just against one person and one state. Entire government machinery was used, CBI was miused, anti national elements(LeT) were utilized, falsehoods were floated, in order to fight the leadership of Gujarat BJP somehow. But Gujarat was very clear. This time the situation is even further strange. Some political party starts its campaign by running down development. This might not have happened anywhere else, forget in India but across the world. Economic progress fights poverty and backwardness and they make fun of it and running it down. At the same time they put forward a dynasty. So if nothing works then in order to stop the wind of development they attempt to spread jatiwad(casteism). And in whatever states such poison of jatiwad has been spreaded, you would find economic parameters on lower side. When economical development happens, all sections of society benefits from it. Development helps all across religions and castes. And Congress is running down development and dividing the society in a progressive state. It has tried it many times in the past. It is neither good for society nor for the State. Democracy has its own strenth which is sense of fairness about what is in people’s interest. People analyse it and they vote on the basis of that.

DeshGujarat