NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party MP Raghav Chadha has given a suspension of business notice in Rajya Sabha to discuss the imposition of 12 per cent Goods and Services Tax (GST) on 'Sarais' around Shri Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) Amritsar and demanded a discussion on it.
In a letter to the Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu, the Aam Aadmi Party leader wrote, "I hereby give notice under Rule 267 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) of my intention to move the motion for suspension of business listed for August 3, 2022."
"That this house do suspend Zero Hour and other relevant rules relating to Question Hour and other businesses of the day to have a discussion on the imposition of 12 per cent GST on Sarai's around Shri Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) in Amritsar," he said.
On Tuesday, reports claimed that the Central government has imposed 12 per cent GST on the accommodation charges in three SGPC-run "sarais" - Baba Deep Singh Yatri Niwas, Mata Bhag Kaur Niwas and Sri Guru Gobind Singh NRI Niwas - all located outside the shrine premises.
Meanwhile, the monsoon session of Parliament began on July 18 and will continue till August 12.
The Rajya Sabha on Tuesday discussed the issue of the price rise of essential commodities, during the monsoon session of the Parliament. While the opposition appealed to the government to acknowledge the problem of rising inflation affecting the poor in India in order to fix it, the ruling BJP asserted that it is a problem due to global development beyond the control of any country.
Amid concerns over the decline in the value of the rupee against the US dollar, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday asserted there is no collapse of the unit and it is actually finding its natural course. Sitharaman informed Rajya Sabha that RBI is continuously monitoring the local currency and intervening only if there is volatility.
"The RBI interventions are not so much to fix the value of the Indian Rupee because it is free to find its own course," the minister told the Rajya Sabha during Question Hour.
