In a special session called by the government of Maharashtra, Maharashtra assembly unanimously ratified the constitution amendment to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) bill.

The finance minister Sudhir Mungantiwar and chief minister Devendra Fadnavis assured the 288-member assembly that the autonomy of the state would not be in danger. Fadnavis said that the autonomy would lead to more integration between the states as desired by the constitution.

The BJP’s partner in government Shiv Sena also gave its strong support to the GST, changing its earlier stance to object GST for price rise and high inflation. The opposition parties, Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party also supported the GST bill amendment.

Answering to the question raised by 14 members, the chief minister said that any of the municipal corporation would not loose their revenue and the loss of the local bodies would be protected.

The Congress was seen to take the credit for the GST bill. Senior Congress leader and former chief minister of the state Prithviraj Chavan said, “The GST first evolved during the Congress regime, and when approved by many states, was blocked by none other than Narendra Modi, who was then the chief minister of Gujarat. We want to ask, why he delayed it for more than five years.”

Also Read: GST bill passed by Lok Sabha, paving way for tax reforms

By Prajakt K.