In a renewed attempt to have the pending Goods and Services Tax (GST) passed in the coming Monsoon session, Union Ministers Arun Jaitley and Ananth Kumar Friday met senior Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma as the Government maintained that it was trying to avoid 'trial of strength 'and seeking to build a consensus on it.
As the Government intends to introduce the bill in Rajya Sabha at the very start of the session on July 18, Congress is primarily demanding a Constitutional cap on the GST rate which is, so far, not acceptable to the Centre. The main opposition also wants clarification from the Government on taxability of various goods like petroleum, alcohol, tobacco and electricity.
"We are trying to build consensus on GST. We have discussed all the points. Once the monsoon session starts, we will meet again after discussing the issue within our respective parties," Jaitley said after his meeting with the Congress leaders.
This is the second attempt by the Government to take the Congress on board on the GST Bill. On Thursday, Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu called up Azad and Sharma to seek Congress' support for the bill.
Earlier this week, Sharma had denied that the Congress was against the bill, saying the party was the author of the bill and its only concern was that it should be "meaningful and substantive".
The Government, he said, needed to "ring fence" the GST rate so as not to burden the common man. "Ball is in their court", said the Congress leader.
Besides, Government should be clarifying whether the GST would subsume various cesses including the Swachchh Bharat cess.
The Government plans to push the Constitution Amendment bill in Rajya Sabha which had been approved by lok Sabha earlier. The Congress leader is of view that his leadership would take a "considered view", once it formally hears from the government.
With the Government softening its stand and reaching out to the Congress in this regard, which is still in majority in the Rajya Sabha for the past two days have been deliberating on the issue and might clear the GST bill.
A senior Congress leader said that "time has come to support the Government on the GST and it would send a wrong message if the deadlock over this issue continues". Sonia Gandhi on Thursday too discussed the GST issue with senior leaders.