Nirmala Sitharaman denies Trump link to GST reforms: Opposition should do homework

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, while speaking exclusively to India Today, hit back at Opposition leaders questioning the timing of the government’s Goods and Services Tax (GST) overhaul, insisting the reforms had been in the works for more than a year and were not connected to global trade tensions.

Speaking exclusively to India Today, Sitharaman said the Opposition was misinformed and urged them to “do their homework” before making public claims.

"We have been working on GST overhaul for over 1.5 years. It is not because of Trump's tariffs," she said.

"Opposition should do their homework before making public claims on GST. Everyone is understanding their absolute lack of knowledge," she said.

Earlier, former Finance Minister P Chidambaram had questioned the timing of the GST overhaul and asked if it had a Trump link.

Speculating on what prompted the government's sudden course correction, the senior Congress leader listed sluggish growth, rising household debt, falling savings, upcoming Bihar elections, and US President Donald Trump's tariff war among possible triggers.

"It will be interesting to speculate on what drove the government to make the changes: Sluggish growth? Rising household debt? Falling household savings? Elections in Bihar? Mr Trump and his tariffs? All of the above?" Chidambaram said.

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