MAGNANIMOUS AT MIDNIGHT 

New Delhi, June 30: The Central Hall of Parliament reverberated with proclamations of " Bharat Mata ki jai", Sanskrit slokas and reference to the Gita as Narendra Modi had his "tryst-with-destiny" moment at the stroke of the midnight hour and the Prime Minister, along with President Pranab Mukherjee, launched the goods and services tax.

Modi referred to "Pandit Jawaharalal Nehru" but equated GST, which he termed as "Good and Simple Tax", with Vallabhai Patel's effort to consolidate the princely states to form a unified India. He said that just like Patel had unified the princely states to give shape to a unified country, GST had achieved economic unity.

"Imagine what India would have looked like today had Sardar Vallabhai Patel not united all kingdoms of India. We would have got freedom but the country would be disintegrated. Like Patel consolidated the kingdoms into one country, the GST will usher in economic unity," Modi said.

He added that now it would be "one nation, one tax".

If the original tryst with destiny at midnight had Nehru's indelible imprint, the modern-day version had just one reference to the architect of modern India.

Modi named Nehru once while referring to the first debate of the Constituent Assembly in the same Central Hall of Parliament. He said Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and the other tall leaders sat in the front row of the historic hall during the Constituent Assembly debate.

Like the prolonged debate of the Constituent Assembly to frame the Constitution, GST had undergone a similar debate and discussion before being adopted and implemented, Modi added.

"On 26 November, 1949, the country adopted the Constitution. Today, after many years, for adopting a new economic system for strengthening the federal structure, no place would have been more pious than this Central Hall of Parliament," Modi said, seeking to justify the launch from the historic hall, a decision that was criticised by the Opposition.

Modi equated GST with Bhagavad Gita. He said that the GST Council had 18 meetings before the new tax system was adopted and said that incidentally the Gita, too, had 18 chapters.

Modi recalled Albert Einstein and said that once the celebrated scientist had said that if there was one thing most difficult to understand, it was income tax. "I imagine what he would have said had he seen our tax system," Modi said, adding that GST will be a "Good and Simple Tax". Modi quoted Chanakya and recited Sanskrit slokas from Rig Veda.

Modi sought to project GST as a "social reform" measure and said that it would serve the poor by reaching the benefits delivered by the government.

Many Opposition parties like the Congress, Trinamul Congress, Left, DMK and the RJD boycotted the launch of GST, saying the midnight spectacle was ignoring harsh realities of society, intolerance and farmers' plight.

Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal United members, however, participated in the launch. The Samajawadi Party members, along with that of Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party, were also present.

The Left kept away from the meeting but former Bengal finance minister Asim Dasgupta was present. He was seen sitting with Ratan Tata.

BJP members filled the Central Hall with slogans of " Bharat Mata ki jai" just before the official event began and also after the launch.