Congress MPs from Punjab protested inside the Parliament complex demanding the revocation of the GST on purchases made for langar (community kitchen) at the Golden Temple, Durgiani Mandir and Ram Tirath temple in Amritsar.
Rajya Sabha member Pratap Singh Bajwa also wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, making such an appeal.
Calling GST on purchase of langar items burdensome, the Congress MP said the Sikh shrine provided langar daily to lakhs of devotees and was open to people of all faiths.
“The people of Punjab have significantly contributed to the process of nation building, ranging from agriculture to national security. The imposition of GST on langar items at the Golden Temple is an unnecessary burden that must be rescinded forthwith,” Mr. Bajwa said.
His appeal comes a day after the Punjab government decided to waive its share of the GST imposed on purchases made for langar at the Golden Temple. “If the Centre had waived it off today on the occasion of the martyr day of Saheed Bhagat Singh, it would have been a great gesture for the people of Punjab. I would like to appeal to the Centre to reconsider their decision to collect tax from all these three temples,” Mr. Bajwa told The Hindu .
