“Your state was in the room,” says Nermalla Sitraman.

Finance Minister Nermalla Setharmann threw the glove in Chennai when he was asked about commodity and services tax rates. “The average commodity and services tax rate has not been increased,” it declared, aiming at what it described as “false advertising.” Although the discounts in the evaluation on the basic elements – “Yes, we can try to reduce them more” – she made it clear that the wrong information will not go undisputed.

And blame the game? She did not have. Then if someone had a complaint, and he immediately said: “Oh, it is the Moody government that did that” – then you must ask the finance ministers of your own case: “Did you go and oppose it? Have you raised an objection? Until then, is it passed? “You have to ask that, right?”

Sitharaman was responding to a question at the Chennai event about whether the commodity and services tax rates have increased since its implementation. Her answer was explicit: “No one rate has been increased. We will not make sure of it.”

She acknowledged that some citizens want to decrease the commodity and services tax on daily necessities and said that the government will continue to work in this direction. She said: “If you want to reduce it more, we will try-especially on the elements of the daily use that the general public uses.”

But it took a sharp exception to the online demands comparing the tax rates before and after the GST. “I know that many people are putting on social media leaflets comparing tax rates before and after the tax of goods and services. If we look at them carefully, we will understand that propaganda is wrong.”

The minister stressed that the decisions of goods and services tax are not unilaterally. “Every decision on the tax and services tax is made with all ministers involved. Congress is there. DMK exists. The Communist Party there was Telgo Desam there. YSRCP was there … until today, members of Congress from the state of Karnataka, Telangana, and Western Bengal are all part of it.”

And she said: “Why did they impose taxes on coconut oil that the poor need? Why did they put a tax on a Park biscuit?” This is what people say. “Someone or the other will say,” They have imposed taxes on Parle-G, which the poor consume with tea. “Who imposed taxes on him?”

The audience stated that even if such taxes were imposed, “all the ministers were sitting together. Just because someone said randomly does not mean that it is true.”

Her last speech: “Even if you provide an answer to people with an agenda, they will not be convinced. But still, we need to continue to repeat it: I was part of making decisions on goods and services tax. We were part of it. Everyone was part of it.