Union weaponizing fiscal transfer to states: Jayati Ghosh

Pointing to the cess and surcharge rising to 28% of the total tax revenue of the union, renowned economist Jayati Ghosh said that centralization of authority and cynical grabbing of additional tax revenues through cesses and surcharges has given more power to the Centre because it can politicize its relationship with the states by weaponizing fiscal transfers to states that could have long term consequences and impede the unity of the nation.

Growth, poverty data skewed: Prof Arun Kumar

Rubbishing the Centre-ruling BJP’s claim of India being the fifth largest economy, former professor of Jawaharlal Nehru University Arun Kumar said, "The rate of growth of the economy has not been six to seven per cent as the government claims. It is 0 to 2-2.5%. The claim that we have moved from the 10th to the 5th largest economy is not correct. In my judgment, we are probably the eighth or ninth in the world."

Taking strong exception to the use of organised sector data to assess 29 of the 39 subsectors of the unorganised sector, he said, "Our GDP and poverty data are incorrect. Growth has been highly skewed."

Cautioning that there was an almost-dangerous anarchy of power and majority in the country, former Congress MP Sandeep Dikshit said, "RSS and the BJP can be credited for picking up on popular mandate and mood. We as a society no longer want justice, but revenge and retribution. It satisfied the urge among each one of us. Power and majoritarianism is not in numbers; it is in power and position, and how people perceive and look at you."

Trinamool Congress MP Jawahar Sircar, Shiv Sena (UTB) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, and Seema Chisthi, Editor of online portal, The Wire, were among those who spoke at the conclave.