Govt takes 'open mind' stance to push Bills

Monsoon session likely to be reconvened; Congress stand unchanged

The government on Tuesday claimed to have an “open mind” on amendments to important Bills such as the one on goods and services tax but the Congress is likely to stick to its hardened stance.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu said the government could reconvene the monsoon session of Parliament to get crucial pieces of legislation such as the goods and services tax (GST) Bill passed. During the normal schedule of the session from July 21 to August 13 this year, little business could be conducted in either House because of repeated disruptions by the Opposition over different issues.

While at the end of the session, Congress, the principal Opposition party, and the government seemed to harden into their corners and trade insults, on Tuesday, Naidu met the leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge. He later said the government had an open mind on amendments to the reform measures.

In a dual strategy, the government also tried to isolate the Congress, claiming that almost all other opposition parties were on board with the reforms in favour of “national interest”.

Congress seems to have made no change in its stance, though. Kharge said its concerns over the Bills would have to be addressed to get it on board.

A party insider said they would stick to their demand — removal of one per cent additional tax, an authority to resolve disputes, capping of the GST rate at 18 per cent and compensation to local bodies.

One Congress leader said they would not let the Bharatiya Janata Party take all the credit for such an important reform, especially when it had opposed the GST Bill and stalled it during the United Progressive Alliance rule.

The Bill to introduce the GST is a constitutional amendment and has to be passed separately in each House with a two-thirds majority. The government lacks the numbers in Rajya Sabha.

With the crash of global markets, the current financial situation may have prompted the government’s move.

Speaking on the urgency of initiating economic reforms, Naidu said: “This is even more important in the backdrop of the current financial situation across the globe.”



The government was apprehensive that reconvening the monsoon session of Parliament could be fruitless if the Congress continued with its disruptive tactics. A senior government functionary said, “We have to ensure that a special session is convened when the numbers are there. Now, we feel we are very close to getting the numbers but we want to be sure. The question is once the numbers are there, will Congress will still disrupt Parliament?”

Asked by journalists if the government was open to amendments to the GST Bill, Naidu said: “Amendments cannot be approved outside (Parliament). They have to be approved inside. The government will be going to Parliament with an open mind. Once the session is called, we will be able to sort out these issues.”  

He also said the government and Finance Minister Arun Jaitely had taken into consideration most of the concerns of states. “He (Jaitley) consulted almost the whole spectrum of political opinion and was agreeable on arriving at a broad consensus.” Though it is an open secret that the Congress top brass — party President Sonia Gandhi and Vice-President Rahul Gandhi — were the masterminds behind the tough stance, the government has not made any overtures to them.

Naidu said he was following norms by meeting leaders of different parties of both Houses. He added he had no problem in meeting either Sonia Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi.

Congress communication chief Randeep Surjewala said, “Congress is the architect of the GST and we support it but the National Democratic Alliance government’s Bill kills its very soul. We have made meaningful suggestions but the prime minister and the finance minister are being obdurate and not taking into consideration the concerns of Congress and the other parties.” There are sections in the BJP that are of the opinion that the government has invested too much political capital on the GST and land acquisition Bills. Both the government and the party are making efforts to take the focus away from the GST Bill. The government may also emphasise on other economic reforms and highlight the fact that the country had recorded good economic growth despite the absence of GST.