NDA partners led by the BJP went into a huddle at Chief Minister Raghubar Das’ residence on Wednesday evening on the eve of all important special Assembly session called on Thursday.
The party leaders were unanimous that the State Good and Services Bill (SGST) going to be tabled for passing in the House has to be cleared, regardless of the Opposition JMM tactics.
“All the MlAs have been told to remain united and speak in one voice in the support of the Bill tomorrow. The party leadership is confident and unfazed about passage of SGST. No need was felt to issue any whip for that,” said BJP chief whip Radha Krishna Kishore.
Party MlA Anant Ojha after the meeting said that the State was ready for ‘one nation-one tax’ regime and the Opposition should support the cause while taking part in the proceeding.
Moreover, the ruling alliance is little suspicious of the threats volleyed by major Opposition JMM. The party has shown its teeth over reported disrespect shown to its supreme leader Shibu Soren by none other than the Chief Minister. Following the stand, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Saryu Roy had even gone to leader of Opposition Hemant Soren offering an olive branch.
In the meanwhile, dissenting voice has surfaced within the JMM over the stand of the party. “The party has called a meeting of its legislative body on Thursday at 10 am. The strategy of the JMM would be finalised there only. However, I personally believe that the House should be allowed to run properly and clauses of the SGST be discussed thoroughly,” said senior most legislator of the party Stephen Marandi.
Marandi added he had even moved few amendments to be made into the proposed Bill. “I have gone through the copy of the draft Bill. It is in the interest of the State. But some corrections are also needed. I have even moved few amendments to be made into the Bill,” said the legislator.
The JMM in the process is also not getting blind support of other parties in the Opposition’s camp. “We are against the policies of the Government at large and also condemn the alleged comment of the Chief Minister. But this should not be used to score political brownie points and that also at the cost of State’s interest. Congress is in the favour of the GST regime and we would back the Government in the House tomorrow,” said Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee president Sukhdeo Bhagat.
Insiders in the JMM, however, believe that the party’s stated stand is nothing more than a political posturing. “There may be some standoff in the beginning but the party would not halt the Bill. In any case, the Government enjoys majority and it is going to be cleared anyhow,” said a party MlA.
JVM has also backed the step of the Government with some riders and is preparing to move few amendments into the draft Bill. Its legislative body leader Pradeep Yadav has been shifted to Ranchi jail from Godda and has been granted permission to attend the special one-day session.