New Delhi
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi today slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for “firing a double tap at the heart of Indian economy” in the form of demonetisation and the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and said people’s trust in the BJP government was “dead”.

Speaking at the valedictory function of PHD Chamber of Commerce today, Rahul termed the upcoming first anniversary of demonetisation (November 8) the “barsi of notebandi” and took a jibe at the PM: “It takes someone with a very big chest, but a very small heart to do a note ban.”

Rahul then accused the PM of viewing “every single Indian as a thief”. He said, “November 8 was the day the PM personally wiped out 87 per cent currency from the system, a move taken without concern for consequences. The PM failed to grasp a fundamental of Indian economy—all cash is not black and all black is not cash.”

The Congress’ “not all cash is black” jibe came a day after the government decided to mark November 8 as anti-Black Money Day. Predicting GST would turn out to be a “computerised licence raj” and a “tax terrorism tool”, the 47-year-old Amethi MP promised GST reform if Congress came to power in 2019. He said a Congress government, when installed, would make micro industry the central pillar, unlike the BJP that had “finished the sector with GST”. These comments drew a generous applause from a primarily industry gathering.

Rahul called GST a moth eaten, badly conceptualised and implemented tax. Asked later why Congress abandoned its GST rate cap demand in the constitutional amendment Bill, he said: “We fought a brave battle to give a workable GST. But when we flagged concerns, we were told to mind our business… We are convinced GST needs to be reformed. It is over complicated and several tax slabs are flawed.”