The hike in GST effected on footwear came in for sharp criticism from the Communist Party of India (CPI), which staged a demonstration here on Monday.
CPI Secretary K. Narayana staged a mock protest by polishing the boots of passersby at the demonstration, symbolically indicating the falling affordability of new footwear for the common man.
“The Centre has not left even the footwear. The 13% hike in GST for footwear priced below ₹1,000 will badly hurt the poor and middle classes. The government’s move not to hike the same for products priced above ₹1,000 smacks of servility to the corporate giants,” he charged. On the BJP leaders taking potshots at him for ‘footwear drama’, Mr. Narayana said the BJP would never understand the common man’s problems.
On Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s visit to New Delhi, he wished the trip to be fruitful in terms of getting a concrete assurance on Special Category Status (SCS) and other pending projects. He also appealed to the State government to focus on the problems of film distributors and exhibitors and solve the same in the interest of the entertainment industry.
Mr. Narayana also condemned the attempts to whip up passions in the name of political ideology, castes and religions and pointed to the latest instance of defacing of NT Rama Rao statue in Guntur district.
