Modi government means business in winter session

The winter session of Parliament that starts tomorrow will be the last opportunity to push the GST bill to ensure the pan-India tax can be rolled out from April 1 next year.

Ahead of the meeting, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu had said that the priority of the government was ease of doing business and economic reforms, adding that they were also ready to discuss the issue of intolerance. On the GST issue, the party has sent a clear signal that it wanted the bill to be passed if the concerns of the party are met. Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said, We have already given notice for discussion on intolerance and it should be admitted under Rule 193.

Around 30 bills, including the GST and Real Estate regulation Bills, are slated to be taken up for consideration and passage during the Winter Session. “We are reaching out to them, we are willing to discuss with them because some of these suggestions may not necessarily be in the larger interest of the GST structure”, he said at an Assocham event. We will work with cooperation, communication and coordination with the opposition.

Talking to reporters after the meeting, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said “the beginning was very good”. “They should do the same”.

Significantly, the JD(U) also backed the GST with party president Sharad Yadav announcing support of his party to the measure after the all-party meeting. “We are seeing that the world market is slowing down, China is going a little negative and India is the most attractive place”, Mr Naidu said. “We are open for discussions”.

Congress want to cap the rate of GST at lower than 20 %, scrap a proposed state levy and create an unbiased mechanism to resolve disputes on income sharing between states, Sharma stated.

They reiterated the Congress had never been in opposition to GST however the government’s drafting of the Structure change Statement diluted the substance with ushering within this milestone tax change and also the goal which were imagined.

In the evening, the Prime Minister met leaders of NDA allies to formulate the strategy.

While the government had introduced a slew of reforms relaxing norms for FDI in the country after a drubbing in Bihar polls, investors are still wary that the government may not be able to implement its development agenda given its minority status in Rajya Sabha.

Jayaram said GST is the top of the puff.

The monsoon session of parliament was nearly washed out over demands by Congress and some other parties for resignation of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje for their alleged help to former IPL chief Lalit Modi and of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan over the Vyapam controversy.