Hitting back at Congress party’s Trinity remarks, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday said Gods don’t vote in Parliament, and GST will happen as the strength of main opposition party is ‘shrinking’ in the Rajya Sabha.
“Congress has said even Trinity of Gods cannot make GST happen soon. God’s don’t vote in Parliament but MPs do.
Shrinking strength of Congress in the Rajya Sabha can make it happen,” the Finance Minister told reporters here.
He said Congress would loose on numbers in the next round of bi-annual elections for the Rajya Sabha and even the number of their nominated supporters in the House would come down.
Congress leader Anand Sharma had recently said the April 1, 2016 deadline for rolling out Goods and Services Tax (GST) would not be met “even if the trinity of Gods - Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh - descend on earth” because the government was yet to complete preparatory work for the new indirect tax regime.
The Constitution Amendment bill to roll out GST is stuck in the Rajya Sabha where the ruling NDA does not have a majority of its own. The bill is being opposed by Congress although many other opposition parties are on board.
Congress is seeking three changes in the bill, including a constitutional cap on the GST rate, to support it.