Parliament’s Monsoon session begins today, PM Modi Appeals for GST

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, July 18, 2016: The GST or Goods and Services Tax Bill is expected to dominate the attention of the government and the opposition in the monsoon session of Parliament, which begins today.

   

Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday appealed at an all-party meeting: "GST is of national importance. The issue is not which government gets credit."
   
PM Modi urged all the political parties to keep national interests above all. "We represent both the people and parties and there is a need to keep national interests above anything else," he said.
   
The GST, which aims at replacing a tangled web of central and state taxes with a single levy, has been cleared by the Lok Sabha where the government operates from a position of great strength, but has been stalled in the Rajya Sabha where the Congress has the most numbers.
   
The government, after recent victories in some state elections, remains a minority in the Rajya Sabha even though it is numerically closer to passing the GST bill. Most parties have agreed to support the tax reform.
   
An important meeting between the government and the opposition is expected tomorrow, with political pressure on both sides to sit and thrash out a consensus.
   
Two bills are pending in the Lok Sabha, while seven bills, including the GST, need to be passed in the Rajya Sabha.
   
The Congress said it will support bills but based on merit, offering no assurance on the GST, saying it will take a stand only after the government gives it a "written draft" over concerns raised by it.
   
The Kashmir unrest, the political developments in Arunachal Pradesh and India’s failed attempt for membership to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) may fuel protests and disruptions in Parliament.
   
The government may face attacks over the clashes in Kashmir, which it co-governs with the PDP, following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani two weeks ago. The Congress has called for a discussion.
   
On Sunday, PM Modi praised political parties for speaking in "one voice" on Kashmir and said: "Various parties have given statements on Kashmir events which benefited the country. This has sent a right message and I thank all the parties for the same."