Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP P Chidambaram has welcomed the Centre`s recent GST rationalisation and rate cuts but criticised the move as being "8 years too late". In a post on X, Chidambaram said the current GST design and rates should not have been introduced in the first place, adding that the opposition had repeatedly warned against these issues for years, but their pleas were ignored.

"The GST rationalisation and the reduction in rates on a range of goods and services are WELCOME but 8 years TOO LATE. The current design of GST and the rates prevailing until today ought not to have been introduced in the first place. We have been crying hoarse for the last 8 years against the design and rates of GST, but our pleas fell on deaf ears," he wrote.

Chidambaram further questioned the government`s timing for the reforms, speculating on the possible reasons behind the sudden change. He suggested multiple economic and political factors that may have influenced the decision after eight years of delay, including the tariffs imposed on Indian goods to the US, as well as elections in Bihar that are to be held later this year.