The Congress on Wednesday commented on the "belated wisdom" that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had acquired with his remarks that 99 percent of all goods would be at 18 percent GST and said that the ruling BJPs governance mantra is "leap before you look".

It said that 100 days ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Modi has suddenly "woken up" to the fact that the Goods and Services Tax (GST) brought by his government was "poorly implemented".

In a series of tweets, senior Congress leader and former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram said the government had scrambled the egg needlessly when GST was introduced and was now trying to unscramble it.

BJP/NDA governance mantra is 'Leap before you look'. Which is the reason for the damage caused by GST to businesses, especially MSMEs. — P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) December 19, 2018

He said GST should have been implemented with 18 percent as standard rate.

"Government says 99 per cent of goods will be at 18 percent GST. Belated wisdom. We should have started with 18 percent as the standard rate. Having scrambled the egg needlessly when GST was introduced, the government is trying to unscramble it! Typical of NDA," Chidambaram tweeted.

Government says 99% of goods will be at 18 per cent GST. Belated wisdom. We should have started with 18 per cent as the standard rate. — P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) December 19, 2018

"“BJP/NDA governance mantra is ‘leap before you look’, which is the reason for the damage caused by GST to businesses, especially MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises).”" - P Chidambaram

Modi had said at an event in Mumbai on Tuesday that the government was aiming to bring 99 percent of items below the 18 per cent GST slab.

At a formal briefing, Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that the country had paid a heavy price for Modi's economic mismanagement.

"A latest survey by All India Manufacturers' Organisation (AIMO) points out that traders and MSMEs across the country have reported steady job loss and declining profits since 2014. Demonetisation and GST are among the reasons for the slowdown," Singhvi said.

Another consequence of Modi govt's economic mismanagement is that MSMEs have recorded a huge decline in jobs in last 4.5 years due to GST and Demonetisation: @DrAMSinghvi — Congress Live (@INCIndiaLive) December 19, 2018

View photos Press release from Singhvi’s briefing. More

View photos Press release from Singhvi’s briefing. More

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