1 hour ago
3
ARTICLE AD BOX
3 min readNew DelhiFeb 12, 2026 12:57 PM IST
Abhishek Banerjee released a statement in response to Nirmala Sitharaman (File photo).
Continuing his criticisms of the Union Budget, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Abhishek Banerjee Thursday hit back at Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who had accused him of presenting “distorted facts” in Lok Sabha.
He said that until Sitharaman “understands the difference between what’s written in the GST Act and what’s written on a poor family’s grocery bill”, she will keep living in her India, “while we live in ours”.
Replying to the discussion in Lok Sabha Wednesday, Sitharaman addressed the Opposition’s criticism that West Bengal was ignored in the Union Budget.
Taking on Banerjee, she said, “Abhishek Banerjee has presented distorted facts in the House. He claims there is a tax on milk. Since 2017, when GST was introduced, there has been no tax on milk. There is no tax on education, books, textbooks, etc. Even pencil sharpener, erasers – all have zero GST. Healthcare and life insurance have also come down to zero. I don’t know where he is getting his facts from.”
Responding to her, Banerjee released a statement Thursday, thanking the minister for listening to his speech, and said he wished that “she’d listen as carefully to the people of Bengal when they ask for their MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act), PMAY (Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana), PMGSY (Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana) and JJM (Jal Jeevan Mission) dues”.
“She’s absolutely right, there’s no GST on fresh liquid milk. But perhaps she hasn’t seen the mother who can’t afford fresh milk, who stretches her budget by mixing powdered milk for her infant. That powdered milk? 5 per cent GST. Zero tax on what she can’t buy, 5 per cent tax on what she’s forced to buy,” said Banerjee.
He added that on healthcare, the minister was “technically accurate as always”. “Consultation and treatment are GST-free. But the oxygen cylinder that keeps a Covid patient alive? 12 per cent GST. The insulin injection that prevents a diabetic from dying? 5 per cent GST. The anesthesia for the surgery? 12 per cent GST,” said Banerjee.
Story continues below this ad
“This, Honourable Finance Minister, is exactly the problem I was highlighting. Until you understand the difference between what’s written in the GST Act and what’s written on a poor family’s grocery bill, you’ll keep living in your India while we live in ours. Thank you for proving my point better than I ever could,” he said.
English (US) ·