India was treated to yet another festival branded in Prime Minister Modi’s style—this time called the “GST Bachat Utsav.” Billed as a celebration of savings, it promised relief for households and simplicity for businesses. Yet behind the optics lies a sobering truth: this was not a victory lap but a reluctant admission of failure. For eight years, the Goods and Services Tax—touted in 2017 as the most transformative reform of independent India—was marred by poor design, endless tinkering, and political marketing. What is now packaged as a gift to the people is, in fact, a belated course correction, pushed through by electoral pressures and global economic headwinds. To understand this “Utsav,” one must revisit the painful legacy of GST—its broken promises, its inequitable burden, and its le

See Full Page