Will support GST if all issues of national interest are addressed: Congress

Putting the ball in the Centre's court, Congress leader Tom Vadakkan said it is about the mindset with which the BJP operates.

The Congress Party on Monday said that they are not opposed to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill and would support it in the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament provided all issues concerning national interest are addressed.

Putting the ball in the Centre's court, Congress leader Tom Vadakkan said it is about the mindset with which the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) operates.

"They wanted the numbers and they tried to get it by hook or crook. The Congress Party always wanted the GST. There are certain issues we have raised and those issues need to be addressed. These are things that can be sorted out through amicable discussion," Vadakkan told ANI.

 

He alleged that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Gujarat Government have problems with the GST Bill, adding they are technically trying to put the blame on the grand old party.

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has expressed confidence that the BJP-led Government would be able to pass the much awaited GST Bill in the Monsoon Session of Parliament.

Reports state the National Democratic Alliance Government has declared that it would be their priority to 'isolate Congress' and push the GST Bill through during the upcoming session.

Speaking to ANI in Washington, Gadkari said several non-BJP states are also willing to support the GST as it would benefit them.

The GST Bill will be taken up during the Monsoon Session, which commences from July 18 and will go on till August 12.

The proposed tax reform, India's biggest revenue shake-up since independence, seeks to replace a slew of federal and state levies, transforming the nation into a Customs Union.