The grand midnight launch of GST by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has come at a cost of Rs.5 crore to the exchequer, according to political sources.

This is the price of the one-month long facelift to the historic Central Hall of Parliament to dress it up for Modi’s showpiece function. Much to the chagrin of Central Hall regulars, the circular hall under the central dome of Parliament was shut for a full month for refurbishing.

Central Hall is a popular adda for politicos and journalists alike. But they were forced to make do without while it was being readied for the GST launch. Portraits and paintings hanging on its walls have been spruced up and cleaned, the carpet has been replaced, the wooden tables have been repolished and buffed, the upholstery on the benches has been redone, etc.

The aim was to restore a sparkle to the hall as if to push back the clock to the midnight of August 14-15, 1947, when India became independent and leaders of free India met for a historic session to mark the occasion. The choice of Central Hall as the venue for the launch of the path-breaking tax reform was carefully thought out by Modi who has a flair for theatrical flourishes high on symbolism.

Jawaharlal Nehru gave a clarion call for nationalism through his famous tryst with destiny speech in this very hall.

Modi has tried to recreate a similar fervor and give GST a nationalist veneer with the slogan one nation, one tax. The move is part of an attempt to address the protests against this controversial tax reform, most of which have come from his saffron associates.

Leading affiliates of the RSS like the VHP, Swadeshi Jagran Manch, the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh and the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh have opposed GST and demanded that it be scrapped or at least put on hold till there is more clarity on the new tax structure.

VHP’s jizya barb

The strongest opposition to GST has come from the VHP which dubbed it “jizya kar” at its recent meet in Gujarat.

The formulation is astounding because jizya is associated with Aurangzeb. This Mughal emperor hated by Sangh circles had reintroduced this tax on non-Muslims when he assumed power. Jizya was first imposed on non-Muslims by Qutbuddin Aibak but abolished by Akbar.

Sangh circles believe Aurangzeb brought it back to harass the Hindus and squeeze money out of them. Given the anti-Hindu association of jizya, the VHP has obviously decided to up the ante against the Modi government by likening GST to this dreaded tax. Sangh circles say this is by far the strongest criticism of the Modi government by a Sangh affiliate.

It raises questions on what the VHP is up to. Remember VHP is headed by staunch Modi critic Praveen Togadia. Interestingly, the VHP added a dramatic touch to its anti-GST stand by getting international general secretary Champatrai to pen a letter to the PM direct from the dais at the meeting.

In the letter, Champatrai is believed to have protested that items related to Hindu prayers and rituals, like samagri, prasad, etc have all been brought under the GST net. He said this is a body blow to Hindus and called for immediate withdrawal of the tax.

Last Iftar

President Pranab Mukherjee’s last Iftar at Rashtrapati Bhavan was a gloomy affair because of the boycott by the Modi government and the BJP. Although Modi himself never attended the Iftar, Rajnath Singh would always turn up as would minister for minority affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and a general secretary of the BJP. But this year, even these regulars gave the Iftar a miss without assigning any reason for their absence.

The missing BJP presence was obviously the main topic of conversation at the Iftar. Most opposition leaders felt upset and hurt on the President’s behalf especially because it was his last Iftar before he demits office next month.

In fact, the joke that went around was that this was probably the last Iftar Rashtrapati Bhavan would see because the next President represents Hindu nationalist forces who do not believe in holding Iftar gatherings.

For instance, although former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee held an Iftar every year when he was in office, Modi has dispensed with the practice.

So have all BJP governors in the states. Opposition leaders felt that the decision to stay away from Mukherjee’s Iftar was a snub to the outgoing President.

If Mukherjee was upset, he did not show it. His face was stoically impassive as he went about his duties as a host. He was the impeccable President.

Missing stop

One stop missing from Modi’s US itinerary was Capitol Hill, home to the US Congress. Considering a new government has assumed office in Washington and the complexion of the legislature has undergone a radical change with the Republicans in charge, diplomatic observers are surprised that Modi did not drop by Capitol Hill.

They expected that the PM would meet with select new Congressmen and Senators and members of the India caucus as part of his gettingto-know-you mission to Trump’s USA. Although official circles tried to portray the visit as a low-key one without the usual flourishes, the fact is that Modi did meet with American business leaders. So why not meet with American politicians?

One explanation going around is that Modi’s aides did not want him to face embarrassing questions about recent controversies like beef lynchings and the human shield episode in Kashmir. They have not forgotten that the human shield issue was raised by Democrat leader Nancy Pelosi when she visited India in May as part of a US Congressional delegation.

Even an India-friendly Congressman like Ed Royce is reported to have expressed concerned to Indian interlocutors about vigilante killings in the name of the cow. Royce also happens to be the chairman of the House foreign relations committee.

Diplomatic circles here say that he would have definitely been among those to meet Modi on Capitol Hill and could well have raised the topic with the PM.