Twitter
Advertisement

Five hours alloted for GST debate, as date and consensus evade bill

The Congress, which is insisting on three amendments, said it was awaiting a "written" response from government.

Latest News
article-main
FacebookTwitterWhatsappLinkedin

In a step forward, all political parties, including Congress, agreed to allot five hours to debate Goods and Services Tax (GST) in Rajya Sabha, even as government said it would seek to evolve a consensus to pass the bill "unanimously".

The Congress, which is insisting on three amendments, said it was awaiting a "written" response from government. A party leader said that so far there has been only verbal response from the ruling side and no concrete proposals on its suggestions.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at a meeting of the NDA that it should take along all parties and reach out to them for a consensus on GST. "All NDA parties are together on the GST bill. The PM has explained to everyone why it is important to pass it,"information and broadcasting minister M Venkaiah Naidu told reporters.

Earlier in the day , outside parliament, Modi told reporters , "This session takes place before India's Independence Day...I have spoken to all the parties over the past few days. Everyone is in the mood to take the best decisions in the interest of the country." This comes a day after Modi held an all party meet on the eve of the parliament session and sought support on GST and other bills.

The government, while claiming there was a positive atmosphere, admitted that it would take "some more time" of consultations. "To pass the bill unanimously, we need to have a lot of consultations with parties.... The meetings will continue," parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar told reporters.

Asked if he was confident about passage of GST during the session, he said "everybody wants that we should take it to its logical conclusion" and that the government was ready to run the extra mile and had an "open mind". He said the government floor managers would walk up to the Opposition to reach out to all parties.

Minister of state for parliamentary affairs SS Ahluwalia said "we will talk to them whenever necessary." However, neither spelt out any details of negotiations with the Opposition.

It is apparent that for the government, passage of GST was not just about the numbers but also getting the Congress on board for consensus on it. The bill has been pending in Rajya Sabha, where the ruling NDA is in a minority.

"Finance minister has met us informally. We have raised our concerns. Now we are waiting for the government to come up with a concrete proposal. We are looking forward for a formal consultation on the bill," said Congress Rajya Sabha MP Anand Sharma. The Congress wants GST to be capped at 18 per cent and upper limit to be listed in the constitutional amendment, removal of proposed one cent state levy and strong council to settle disputes between centre and states.

Find your daily dose of news & explainers in your WhatsApp. Stay updated, Stay informed-  Follow DNA on WhatsApp.
Advertisement

Live tv

Advertisement
Advertisement