Sources said the Good and Services Tax (GST) Bill is not the reason for these meetings as it is essentially a matter between the Centre and states and that organisational matters will be on top of Mr Shah’s agenda, though the issue may figure in the deliberations.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to intervene once the debate starts in Lok Sabha on Monday.
“It is perhaps the only Constitution amendment bill which was passed in the absence of the prime minister”, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh had said. Both Congress and BJP have issued whip to their MPs making it mandatory for them to remain present during the voting. Now it has to go back to the Lower House for incorporating the amendments approved by Rajya Sabha.
The GST, the biggest economic reform since 1991, is likely to sail through smoothly in the Lower House.
After the amendments are carried out, Parliament will pass the GST and Integrated GST Bills and the assemblies will pass state GST Bill for the roll out of the tax reform in the country.
Once the bill is passed by Parliament, it would be referred to the state assemblies for their ratification.
BJP National President Amit Shah has called together a meeting of Chief Ministers of the States in which the BJP is in power to help ratify the GST bill. “However, later, they agreed in the Rajya Sabha and sent the Bill to the Select Committee”.
The Parliamentary Affairs ministry on Saturday dubbed the passing of the Constitution’s 122nd Amendment Bill relating to GST by huge consensus in the Rajya Sabha as the “hallmark of the third week of monsoon Session of Parliament”.
A senior Congress leader promising fireworks said, “The GST bill will enter a critical phase after the Lok Sabha passes it for the second time”.
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The Upper House, during the week, also held discussions on developments in States of Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh leading to change in the Governments there and role of Governors in respective States, and also on alleged diversion of money from Employees Provident Fund to Stock Market. It will then need the President’s assent and the approval of 15 states, half of India’s 29.
