The Bharatiya Janata Party-led government has listed around 15 bills to be passed in the Monsoon session of Parliament, which begins today, with the Goods and Service Tax Bill remaining high on their list of priorities.
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With the issue bill expected to come up again during the Monsoon Session of the Parliament, the Congress on Sunday said the party will support any bill that is for the people of the country.
Noting that important Bills including the GST will be taken up during the session, Modi expressed the hope that there would be meaningful discussions and outcomes.
“The issue is not about which government would get the credit for introduction of GST but what was important is the passage of the Bill”, he said.
A ministry statement quoted Kumar as saying the meeting was very fruitful, while Mahajan, according to a news agency, said everyone had assured they would let Parliament function.
On its part, the Congress said that it will support in Parliament any legislation that is in the nation’s interest but offered no assurance.
Ahead of the session, top Congress leaders met party chief Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on Saturday and chalked out strategy on crucial issues, including the GST Bill.
CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury and Naresh Agrawal of Samajwadi Party warned against “match-fixing” between the ruling BJP and main opposition Congress and asked it to speak to all parties. “There have been intermittent discussions but it is not the solution”, Scindia said.
“We can give a response only after we receive a written draft from the government”, he said as he rejected the contention that the Congress was blocking the bill, saying GST was “a baby given birth” by his party. He demanded an all-party meeting, specifically on the GST bill.
As many as 45 leaders from 30 parties attended Sunday’s meeting where Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, and Ministers of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and S.S. Ahluwalia were also present. “All tricks were used”, the senior Congress leader said.
Speaking about the “abuse” of governor’s post, Azad referred to UP governor Ram Naik’s reported justification of arms training given to Bajrang Dal cadre.
The Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said there should be a discussion in the Parliament on the tense situation in Kashmir and that government should provide an anwser.
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The government’s unsuccessful NSG bid, floods in some states, agrarian crisis and terrorism are among the issues that the opposition plans to raise in the session.
