 "How PM and Jaitley ensured GST passage")
Over the past year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi kept a sharp eye on the negotiations by his senior ministers with various national and regional political parties to ensure the passage of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) constitutional amendment Bill. But he himself stayed in the background. On Monday, the PM will intervene for the first time on the GST debate when the Lok Sabha takes it up for discussion.
The PM has been considerate in letting Finance Minister Arun Jaitley get the credit for the "patience and perseverance" in reaching out to all political parties and for a job well done in ensuring the passage of the GST Bill in the Rajya Sabha. "But he was involved very closely with the process," said a senior government source. The PM had kept his senior officers on their toes, meeting them on the eve of the Wednesday's discussion to ensure all goes according to plan.
Over the course of last one year, Jaitley, aided by M Venkaiah Naidu and latter's successor Ananth Kumar at the parliamentary affairs ministry, held nearly a 100 meetings to get all the parties to support the GST Bill. The PM had tasked them with speaking to each party "one on one". Modi himself intervened whenever it was felt necessary, particularly in inviting Congress President Sonia Gandhi and former PM Manmohan Singh for tea at his official residence in December last year and meeting Tamil Nadu CM J Jayalalithaa in mid-June.
Even the walkout by All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) members on Wednesday was part of the understanding reached between that party and government ministers, a source revealed. Naidu had met Jayalalithaa and she had hinted that her party will not be an obstacle, while she later met the PM with her demands for Tamil Nadu.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members in the Rajya Sabha were under strict instructions to not get provoked by Opposition members during the discussion. They have been asked to adhere to the same discipline when the Bill comes up for Lok Sabha's approval on Monday.
A senior ranking government source also acknowledged the "crucial" cooperation by Congress leaders, particularly Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad and his deputy Anand Sharma. It was in evidence during Wednesday's discussion when neither made it an issue of prestige the demand by their colleagues P Chidambaram, Jairam Ramesh and Kapil Sibal that the government should give a categorical assurance that the subsequent Central GST and Integrated GST Bills will not fall in the category of 'Money Bills'.
Jaitley held innumerable meetings with Azad and Sharma over the last one year, while Naidu reached out to Congress leaders in the Lok Sabha like Mallikarjun Kharge, KV Thomas, Veerappa Moily and Jyotiraditya Scindia. He even dropped in at Kharge and Moily's homes for breakfast.
"The Opposition had its say, the government its way," a senior government source, summing up the GST debate, said. He added that the passage of GST Bill was the triumph of the people of India.