Midnight gong to mark GST roll out; Amitabh Bachchan and Lata Mangeskar likely invited for the function

The ceremony will take place at the Central Hall of the Parliament.

Around one thousand people are expected to be present at the launch of the single tax policy that has seen a lot of debate and discussion over the past few months.

The programme for the GST roll out will begin at 11 pm on Friday and will extend beyond midnight, media reports said.

Besides President of India, Pranab Mukherjee, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi -- who will unveil the GST --  Vice President Hamid Ansari, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, Union Finance and Defence Minister Arun Jaitley and other Cabinet ministers will be present at the ceremony.

Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda is also expected to attend the ceremony. However, former PM Dr Manmohan Singh is likely to stay away as the Congress has boycotted the ceremony, media reports said.

Although media speculation is rife about who has been invited and who is going to attend, according to NDTV reports, industrialist Ratan Tata will be there, as will RBI governor Urjit Patel and former governors Bimal Jalan and YV Reddy.

According to media reports, actor Amitabh Bachchan  and singer Lata Mangeskar have been invited among others for the special function.

Several Opposition parties, including the Congress and the TMC, have decided to boycott the midnight function. However, the government has asked the Congress to reconsider its decision, according to media reports.

According to a tweet on Friday by the Union Ministry of Finance, "The 18th GST Council Meeting will be followed by "Launch  of GST” function in the Central Hall of Parliament at midnight today."

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