The Congress on Tuesday said the ruling BJP was trying to project that non-passage of GST Bill was a reason for the government’s “poor performance” and cover up its “economic failures” by blaming the opposition.
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GST should come, but the government was introducing it without any discussion in the Business Advisory Committee, party spokesperson Ahishek Manu Singhvi and “there is no change in Congress’s demand that all discussions will happen after the resignations of BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj, Vasundhara Raje Scindia and Shivraj Singh Chouhan”. The two top leaders of the Congress are unable to accept that anyone outside the Gandhi family can run the country, ” he said.
Jaitley made this acerbic statement when an unrelenting opposition refused to allow proceedings to begin in both Houses on Monday morning, leading to adjournments till 12 noon. Apart from lacking the numbers in the upper house, the passage of the Bill requires approval from two-third of the members present in the House.
“They have taken the 2014 defeat badly”. It continues to be a liability on the economy of this country even when it is opposition,”Jaitley said”.
The GST Bill has to be first passed in the Rajya Sabha, after which 50 per cent of the state assemblies have to vet it. This will be followed by the formation of a GST Council that will decide the revenue neutral rate (RNR).
The Congress says it is not anti-GST, but that the Bill needs further deliberation.
“Arun Jaitley finds GST in much public interest”. That is the economic consensus, if GST is introduced.
Some other parties like the RJD, JD-U and TMC too appeared to be supporting the SP stand saying that continuous disruption of the House is uncalled for. As it eliminates different levels of taxes, the product price automatically gets reduced and hence the working capital cycle for the company also reduces.
Stating that Parliament is not for one party, Venkaiah Naidu said “LK Advani ji was upset, he had never seen such behaviour inside Parliament”.
Sources said the JPC report has also been deferred as the BJP does not want it to be used as a political tool against the party in the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections.
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Investors perceive the delay in GST to be a major setback for the Narendra Modi government that has an overwhelming majority in the Lok Sabha but isshort of numbers in the Rajya Sabha. “The (Union) Finance Minister said GST is top priority”, he told reporters. Congress should talk about the real issue, it should not deviate”, he said, adding, “We will try now.
