PM Modi meets Arun Jaitley, Amit Shah to discuss economy, GST

New Delhi: With sluggish economy and Gujarat elections emerging as a major concern, the BJP’s top three — Prime Minister Narendra Modi, finance minister Arun Jaitley and BJP president Amit Shah — got into a huddle on Thursday to discuss how to salvage the situation.

The meeting at Mr Modi’s official residence, for which Mr Shah rushed back from Kerala, cutting short his anti-CPI(M) padyatra, was also to gather feedback ahead of the GST council meeting which is scheduled on Friday, when it is expected that small and medium businessmen could be given some relief by the government.

Mr Shah had met traders during his recent visit to Gujarat, who had apprised him of the problems they are facing since the implementation of GST. Speculation is rife that the government could announce a package for traders and diamond merchants. Cloth and diamond merchants are up in arms against the government in Gujarat where the Dalit and Patidar communities are also giving the BJP sleepless nights.

Mr Modi, who is likely to visit poll-bound Gujarat on October 7 and 8, had strongly defended his government’s economic measures on Wednesday and slammed those who have been attacking the NDA government over the recent economic slowdown. He had also said that he government would not hesitate to take measures to reverse the GDP slowdown witnessed in the last two quarters.

Senior BJP leader and former finance minister Yashwant Sinha had earlier slammed the government for the economic slowdown in an article in an English daily.