India finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman gets trolled for saying 'horse trading' instead of 'horse racing': 'Truth gallops out?'

THE ongoing political drama in India’s richest state Maharashtra has given birth to speculation that the practice of horse-trading was in play and it led to the implosion in the Shiv Sena, which led the now-collapsed MVA (Maha Vikas Aghadi) government in the state.

The government of coalition partners fell below the magic figure of majority in the state assembly after several legislators of the Sena revolted against their own party leadership and the coalition and took refuge in other states ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the opposition in the state, such as Gujarat and Assam.

And amid this, Indian finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman had a slip of tongue while speaking on the economy which saw her getting trolled by netizens.

Sitharaman, a BJP leader, made the blunder while speaking on the imposition of the Goods and Services Tax on horse racing by uttering “horse trading”. The minister made a quick correction but the video had gone viral on social media in no time and reactions poured in thick and fast, especially from the opposition.

Pawan Khera, who has recently been appointed as the opposition Indian National Congress’s chairman of media and publicity, took a dig at Sitharaman over her faux pas, saying, “I knew Nirmala Sitharaman ji had the ability to think out of the (ballot) box.”

Another Congress official Vineet Punia tweeted the video of Sitharaman’s comment and said sarcastically, “We welcome Nirmala Sitharaman ji’s proposal to impose GST on horse-trading.”

Senior Indian Left leader Sitaram Yechury remarked in a tweet, “Truth gallops out? GST on horse trading! Please go ahead.”

An NRI based in Nairobi, Kenya, said, “Thriving business these days. Will boost GST collections.”