Team Herald
PANJIM: Goa’s representative on the GST Council, Minister Mauvin Godinho, on Monday said that Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Palanivel Thiagarajan, needs to gain more knowledge on how the GST council works given that it is his first time on it and emphasised that he (Godinho) had done his job well on the GST council and the GoMs.
Godinho said Thiagarajan is the empty vessel, and went on to ‘educate’ the latter about how a minister from a small State like Goa (Godinho) was nominated by the GST council to be a part of 4 Group of Ministers (GoM), two of which he is still on and one of which will be deciding on increasing or decreasing the quantum of taxes on COVID-19 related products.
Godinho, responding to the statement issued by by Thiagarajan said, “Again I am reiterating that I did not say anything offensive to this gentleman. All I was pleading for is for my small State of Goa, and if by his own statement, he is trying to strike at the very architecture of the GST council, where if you are a larger State, with the larger population, his vote should have more value, that there should be proportional representation. What is he talking about?” Godinho questioned.
“On the one side, he also talks about his budget, his Rs three lakh crore budget, his population of more than 8 crore citizens. Why is he boasting about the size of the State? Does any council or anybody function on that number of people living in the particular country or State or based on its population size and or for that matter even the budget, which is even worse that he is suggesting,” Godinho added.
“Such a learned person… I am not able to understand. He is using such intemperate language and is trying to redefine the whole constitutionally constituted GST council! He has just come, perhaps he had a long break of more than ten years, being in the opposition and then come back he is not able to digest power so quickly,” quipped Godinho.
The State BJP MLA added that he was very happy that Thiagarajan’s fellow Tamilians have been tweeting in his (Godinho’s) favour and have in their tweets, said that Thiagarajan should apologise to Goa and Goans.
“He should realise that the entire Tamil Nadu is not with him, he may be in the ruling party, he should realise that in a political set up, in a democracy, even one vote is a majority, even if you get one vote more than anybody elected, that is a majority, and that is how democracy functions, “ Godinho stated
Godinho, however, did not respond to Thiagarajan’s request to ‘BJP’ to impose ‘minimal quality control on its MLA acquisition procedure and that if it had done so, Goa and the nation would be saved a lot of pain’.
Godinho instead focused on democracy. “And if he is going to strike at the very root of democracy and the very roots of the Constitution, which guarantees equal right, equal power, the principle of equality, amongst big and small States, not based on your size and not on how heavy your purse strings are…, is he trying to redefine all this,” Godinho said, while asking Thiagarajan to clarify on this.
He also mocked Thiagarajan for saying on one hand, that this is an issue not worthy of a response and on the other hand sending a two-page clarification.
“What does it mean, that you are deeply disturbed by your own utterances, accept what you have done is wrong, retract, I have no ego whatsoever. Don’t make it an ego issue,” Godinho said.
Godinho also expressed his willingness to treat this chapter as closed but warned Thiagarajan that if he choose to push this further, it would be at his own peril as he would be the one landing in trouble
Godinho concluded his response by asking Thiagarajan to work together for the country and to ensure the GST Council functions in a healthy manner.
