New Delhi: With the Winter Session’s penultimate week beginning on Monday, the government will go all out to push the crucial Goods and Services Tax Bill, but is determined not to give in to any further Congress demands. The NDA is keeping its fingers crossed amid hints that the Congress is intent on forcing a “legislative paralysis” to counter the heat its top leaders are facing in the National Herald case.
Union finance minister Arun Jaitley, who is due to meet Congress leaders on Monday to break the logjam, also seems to have drawn the “red lines” over the GST Bill, signalling that capping of taxes could not be part of the Constitution Amendment Bill, and that the GST Council could be the proper forum for dispute resolution.
The Congress has denied the charge that it is blocking the GST Bill over the court summons to Sonia and Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case, but the BJP insists there is a link between the two. “I wish and pray that the GST (issue) is delinked (from the National Herald case),” Mr Jaitley said, when asked whether he sees any link between the two matters.
Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram, a former finance minister, said the ruling party was making a “bizarre link” and insisted the Congress had raised “genuine concerns” over the Goods and Services Tax.
Mr Jaitley, however, contested Mr Chidambaram’s stand, saying the government had communicated its response to “responsible leaders” of that party. “I am not responsible for the communication gap in that party,” he said. Mr Jaitley said the three suggestions that had come from the Congress now were “contrary to” what Mr Chidambaram and his predecessor as finance minister, Pranab Mukherjee, had proposed.
At the same time, Mr Jaitley said, even on those “there is some meeting ground”, which he said the government had conveyed to the Congress.
While the necessary infrastructure, including IT, for the rollout of GST has already been put in place, the Centre is racing against time to get the ambitious reform measure passed in the Rajya Sabha, which has been paralysed for all practical purposes in the Winter Session. “We are ready with all the infrastructure required for GST’s rollout. What we lack is parliamentary approval, and there is no possibility of implementing it (by executive action) in any form,” a senior finance ministry official said. The NDA’s floor managers feel the Congress has locked itself into a maze by seeking to paralyse Parliament on an issue that is sub judice. “The Congress is isolated both in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. We do not want to offer any face saver to the party. It will have to back off from the parliamentary agitationist frame of mind,” a senior BJP leader said.
Several regional parties, including Samajwadi Party and JD(U), appear keen to end the impasse. The Trinamool Congress, which, along with the JD(U) and RJD, has so far backed the Congress on this issue in Parliament, is getting increasingly wary of the Congress’ tactics. The TMC’s main focus now is next year’s Assembly polls in West Bengal and it is sensitive to the views of the middle and upper middle classes in the state, a senior Trinamool leader said, adding that the TMC was staying away from the Well of the House for the same reason.
Meanwhile, trade and industry bodies will come out with a joint campaign to appeal to the political class for the early passage of the GST Bill. The Confederation of All India Traders, CII, Ficci and Assocham will hold a GST conference in New Delhi December 16, to be addressed by finance minister Arun Jaitley, CAIT said on Sunday.
