New Delhi: Today, the INDIA bloc, a coalition of opposition parties, demonstrated at the Parliament premises against the 18% Goods and Services Tax (GST) imposed on life and health insurance premiums, branding the measure as “Tax Terrorism.”
According to Kashmir Media Service, leaders and members from the Trinamool Congress (TMC), Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) participated in the protest. Notables such as Rahul Gandhi, Sharad Pawar, TR Baalu, and other opposition MPs were present, holding placards and vocalizing their demand for the removal of the tax, which they argue disproportionately impacts the middle class amid rising medical costs.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, in a statement on X, criticized the tax imposition as particularly harsh on middle-class Indians, pointing out that India’s medical inflation rate is the highest in Asia at 14% in 2024. He described the tax on essential health services as inhumane and a cynical exploitation of crises by the ruling BJP.
Rahul Gandhi also took to X to express his disdain for the government’s approach, accusing it of seeking tax revenue in times of disaster, a policy he deemed indicative of the BJP’s insensitive governance. The INDIA Alliance, he stated, stands firmly against this approach, advocating for the exemption of health and life insurance from GST.
The protest also saw parliamentary action, with Trinamool Congress MPs addressing the issue in sessions and party leader Mamata Banerjee reaching out directly to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in a formal letter.
The gathering on the Parliament steps today marks an intensification of efforts by opposition parties to challenge the financial policies affecting basic healthcare and insurance amidst economic and health crises, calling for significant legislative reconsideration.