Despite reach out to opposition, time running out for crucial GST Bill
New Delhi : The Narendra Modi government is keeping a cautious silence over the fate of the Goods and Services Tax regime despite the ice-breaking ”chai pe charcha” with Congress President Sonia Gandhi and former PM Manmohan Singh. The principle reason seems to be the absence of an assurance or positive answer from the Congress president and the government’s reluctance to agree to two of the three amendments proposed by the opposition. The finance ministry is not ready to mention the 18 percent capping of taxes in the text of the Bill. It also thinks that the provision of disputes redressal mechanism should be left to the purview of the council enshrined in the Bill.
With Sonia Gandhi away from Delhi for at least a week if not more, the possibility of a second round of discussion has also been postponed for several days. After many rounds of informal dialogue with senior Congress leaders over the last few weeks, the party is almost certain that little headway is possible till the Congress president is out of the country. The PM’s interaction with the opposition over tea on Friday was preceded by several such sessions between senior ministers and Congress leaders. Among them was an informal discussion between Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and former PM Manmohan Singh. Sources said Singh was agreeable to the Bill but pointed out that the political decision would be taken by others. The government is now banking on regional powers like Nitish Kumar whose support to the crucial legislation might help the Congress arrive at a consensus.
However, while the GST’s fate may be hanging in the balance, government managers are pleased that the outreach efforts by none other than Prime Minister Modi himself paved the way for a functioning Parliament after two consecutive wash out sessions. This has brought much needed relief to the government floor managers since prospects for the winter session had appeared quite bleak due to the raging intolerance issue and a resurgent opposition post-Bihar.
Reflecting the mood parliamentary affairs minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said, ”The meeting between the Prime Minister and the Congress President has been widely welcomed across the country. This response is a clear indication that people strongly want collaborative parliamentary democracy and not confrontationist politics. The government has the numbers in the Lok Sabha while the opposition has them in the Rajya Sabha. This dynamics of numbers highlights the need for collaboration in furthering the cause of the nation, the minister pointed out.
