Delhi Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa Gives Punjabi Twist To GST

Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Delhi minister and National Secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), gave a Punjabi twist to GST (Goods and Services Tax) during the NDTV Profit GST Conclave 2025 on Tuesday.

When asked to give a full form of GST in Punjabi, Mr Sirsa said, "Pehli baat toh GST Punjabi mein koi dena kyu chahega?" (First of all, why would anyone give GST in Punjabi?)

He added, "Vo toh kahega bhaiya, 'Aisa hai ki gudd, shakkar aur chai pila do, aur hum chalte hain.' Toh GST ki full form ho sakti hai - Gudd, Shakkar, and Tea." (He would say, Brother, just give me jaggery, sugar, and tea, and we'll be on our way.' So the full form could be - Gudd, Shakkar, and Tea.)

He added, "Tax dene ki baat hi nahi kar rahe, jab Punjabi baat karoge toh tax kaha se aa jaayega beech mein?" (We are not even talking about paying tax here. If you are talking about Punjabi, where would the tax come in?)

The reporter then asked if Mr Sirsa moderates his consumption of Gudd, Shakkar and Tea. 

He candidly admitted, giving a tongue-in-cheek response, "Cut down toh karna padta hai. Jitna billing schedule mein rehte hain, utna karenge toh dikkat hogi. But haan, dete bhi hain, chodte bhi hain." (We do have to cut down. If we follow the billing schedule strictly, it would be tough. But yes, we give, and we also skip sometimes)

The GST Conclave 2025 commenced with a panel discussion on "Matters of States," featuring prominent speakers from Punjab, Jharkhand, and Delhi. They discussed possible losses for states due to the reforms and whether the Centre should compensate states if they incur revenue losses.

Recently, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a big change in GST. The main tax slabs were reduced from four to two - 5 per cent and 18 per cent. Taxes on several items were cut, with personal health insurance and some life-saving medicines even made tax-free.