Previous governments did not implement GST as negotiations did not come from 'clean heart', says Piyush Goyal

Mumbai: Union railway minister Piyush Goyal said that the previous governments could not successfully implement the Goods and Services Tax (GST) as their negotiations did not come from a “clean heart.” [caption id=“attachment_3452728” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Piyush Goyal. PTI[/caption] “GST is something which was pending since last 15 years. The first time the concept was thrown open was in 2003. But the earlier governments could not negotiate and successfully implement GST because the negotiation didn’t come from a position of strength,” Goyal said while addressing a gathering in Mumbai on Thursday. “It didn’t come with credibility and commitment that is required in any negotiation to be successful, and possibly the negotiation didn’t come from a clean heart where you have the track record of fulfilling past commitments. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given that leading edge to India that we had required for a very, very long time,” he added. Goyal went on to add that the idea of having a $5-trillion economy is possible in two ways. “One can hugely build up fiscal deficits and show growth in short-run, but to sustain in long-run, one will have to have strong leadership in place and ensure sustainability of both economy and environment. One will also have to ensure that we are recognised in the world as an honest country, as a country where business can be done with equal opportunity for everybody,” he said.