Saying that States were already under financial strain because of the COVID-19 pandemic, former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda on Sunday said that to ask the States to borrow to meet the GST shortfall was a skewed idea.
In a statement, he said that he agreed with the argument that the onus was on the Centre to borrow and compensate the States. “It [the Centre] cannot be seen shirking this responsibility. The States are already under financial strain, and as many have pointed out, it is the States that have done all the hard work and heavy lifting in these past few months during the pandemic,” he said.
He also said that while all issues cannot be resolved to everybody’s satisfaction, but spirit of dialogue and consensus should not be abandoned.
