‘Govt to talk to Cong, other parties on GST’

The Centre would shortly hold discussions with Congress and other parties to bring them around to facilitate passage of the GST and some other key bills before the winter session of Parliament, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said said.

Unfazed by the blockage of the GST Bill in the Rajya Sabha by Congress in the recently concluded Parliament session that ended on a bitter note over the Lalit Modi issue, Naidu said government was keen to implement “the revolutionary and most progressive” GST tax proposal from April 1, 2016.

“...we want to make it operational from April 1. So it is important to get the Bill passed at the earliest opportunity so that the state Assemblies can ratify the Bill. I am confident because the public opinion is strongly in favour of the Bill. State after state is asking for it,” Naidu said.

He said, “now there is a broad consensus. All parties are supporting except the Congress for political reasons. I am sure the Opposition will see reason and they will cooperate and we will be able to pass the bill this year itself. Public opinion ultimately prevails.” 

As GST requires <g data-gr-id="38">constitutional</g> amendment, “...all parties must come together,” Naidu said here.

“Let us see what is going to happen. We are on a positive wicket. We tried our best. They failed the bill and failed the country,” he said, hitting out at the Congress.

“We will be shortly talking to Congress and other parties also. I am already in touch with some other parties and see that the parliament, if necessary, meets before the winter session and then takes up bills which are required. All bills, more particularly GST. On Land Bill, we have to evolve <g data-gr-id="36">consensus</g>,” he said.

Naidu dismissed suggestions that the Modi government was on the back-foot on reforms after the “<g data-gr-id="34">soot</g> boot ki sarkar” jibe at it by Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi, who has accused it of being pro-corporate. “What is Rahul Gandhi. His party has 44 members. What he says is not going to influence our decision making,” he said.