With the Congress refusing to extend its helping hand, the Government on Wednesday gave up its plan to reconvene a session of Parliament to get Goods and Services Tax (GST) Constitutional Amendment Bill passed, a move that is likely to delay the implementation of Goods and Services Tax by April 1, 2016.
The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs (CCPA) decided to recommend to the President to prorogue the Monsoon Session, which was adjourned last month. “Keeping the political reality in mind, at the meeting of Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs it was decided that we will recommend to the President to prorogue the Monsoon Session,” Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told the media after a meeting of the Union Cabinet and CCPA.
The Government was working on a plan to build consensus with the regional parties as also with the Congress
and thereafter extend the Session to pass the important Bill, seen as as one of the biggest economic reforms in the country. Most of the non-Congress Opposition parties were in favour of immediate passing of the GST Bill.
The Congress, however, refused to cooperate unless its demands for the resignations of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Chief Ministers of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh for alleged irregularities were met by the Government.
The Government was keen on Special Session to obtain Parliament's nod for GST Bill but opted against it "for the time being" as talks with the Congress did not yield results, Jaitley said.
"Congress party's anger seems to be both with the Government and the people of India. Their attitude is almost guided by a revenge against the people who have reduced them to 44 (in the lok Sabha)," said the Finance Minister .
On being asked whether they have talked to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and her deputy Rahul Gandhi, the Minister took a dig at the Congress top brass saying, "We discussed it with their leaders in Parliament and some of their leaders in Parliament are accessible."
He said efforts to reach an agreement on the GST Bill would continue.
"We will keep trying. We are in contact with all political parties. And nearly all parties except the Congress are in favour of this Bill. In the lok Sabha, except the Congress all political parties had voted in favour of the Bill. The Congress had walked out, they (other parties) had not walked out. If situation changes then Cabinet will again reconsider the matter," he said. The next Parliament session is expected in November.
On doubts over GST missing the April 1, 2016 target, he said, "Your guess is as good as mine." The Finance Minister also said the composition of Upper House would change after the next bi-annual election in April in favour of the ruling alliance. As of now, Congress has majority members in the Rajya Sabha.
Earlier Speaking at an event organised by The Economist magazine here, Jaitley said if the number of parties which supported the GST Bill in the lok Sabha are tallied, the Government has "two-third" majority support in the Rajya Sabha as well.
"The Congress party says -- I will only shout down... I would like to see it being implemented by April 1, but if this kind of obstructionism remains, perhaps the Congress party will succeed in hurting Indian economy and derail the GST for sometime.
"But now GST is almost a fortified agenda. The objections being raised, I don't see much substance in them. So I don't see much time before this is passed," he said.