 "Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi with party leader Jyotiraditya Scindia during 'HT Leadership Summit 2015' in New Delhi. (Photo: PTI)")
There is need of a dialogue between the government and the opposition on the Goods and Services Tax (GST) bill, Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Friday.
"We want to support GST but there is need to have a dialogue which had been lacking for last 18 months," Scindia said at a panel discussion at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit 2015.
However, referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with Congress president Sonia Gandhi, he said that a new beginning has started that might bring a consensus on the issue.
"I am very happy to note that now the government has understood what it means to work in a democracy. It means building a consensus, it means a dialogue. I think a beginning has started and through that I hope we will reach a consensus that will benefit the nation," he said, adding that one must have freedom of expression to be able to voice one's views and that's what a democracy represented.
Scindia said that the GST bill being presented by the NDA government was not the one that Congress conceptualised.
"GST bill, in its current form, what I believe, does not represent the bill that Congress had brought and does not represent the benefits that accrue to the nation by a simplification of taxes," he added.
Biju Janata Dal MP Jay Panda, who was also part of the debate panel, said his party was "flexible" on support. "We are flexible. Our support and opposition is based on the principles and ideas."
"There is a need to break the deadlock in parliament. I think PM reaching out to his predecessor and Sonia Gandhi helped getting parliament function for last one week. I wish he does more of that," he added.
Nationalist Congress Party MP Supriya Sule pitched for the GST. "We need GST. I feel we can have a good debate on this. Blocking any legislation in parliament is an issue."
