GST Bill in LS, will face tough RS test
Opp. forces Real Estate Bill deferral; ■ Cong backs GST, wants panel to vet it
While the Lok Sabha took up for discussion the Goods and Services Tax Bill, the NDA is heading for a tough time in the Rajya Sabha, where a united Opposition forced the deferment of the controversial Real Estate Bill, that seeks to regulate the realty business. The Opposition in the Lok Sabha made its stand clear, that the GST Bill needed the scrutiny of a parliamentary committee. This despite the fact that Speaker Sumitra Mahajan overruled repeated Opposition demands to refer the bill to the standing committee and allowed a discussion on the bill.
Sensing trouble ahead, the government then went into a huddle with its NDA allies, asking all MPs to be present in both Houses of the Parliament. Parliamentary affairs minister M. Venkaiah Naidu held a meeting of the floor leaders of NDA allies in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. He asked them to ensure the presence of each and every member on Wednesday to ensure the smooth passage of the GST Bill in the Lok Sabha. Former Speaker P. A. Sangma of the National People’s Party has also
Continued from Page 1 been approached. The Congress stuck to the demand that the bill be sent to the standing committee. Deputy Congress leader in Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma said: “We are for legislative scrutiny of the bill.” Party spokesman Gaurav Gogoi rued the Narendra Modi government’s frequent attempts to “bypass” the parliamentary standing committee route for bills. He added that out of 51 bills brought by the Modi government, only seven were referred to the standing committees.
In the Lok Sabha, the Congress supported the GST Bill, but party leader M. Veerappa Moily opposed some of the bill’s provisions. He was supported by the AIADMK and the BJD.
The Trinamul Congress claimed the party was “broadly supporting” the bill. The AIADMK stuck to its position that Tamil Nadu would lose over ` 10,000 crores due to the new tax structure. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is, meanwhile, scheduled to address a meeting of the BJP Parliamentary Party on Wednesday. Congress president Sonia Gandhi will also preside over the general body meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party on Wednesday. She met the party’s Lok Sabha MPs on Tuesday. The Congress plans to stage a walkout from the Lok Sabha on Wednesday in protest against the manner of bringing up the GST Bill.
Finance minister Arun Jaitley stuck to his position that the standing committee had already deliberated upon the measure for two and a half years and, barring a few points, there was a “broad consensus” within the empowered committee of state finance ministers on the provisions of the bill. Besides, Mr Jaitely added, a sort of consensus had emerged between the Centre and states through the empowered committee of state finance ministers.
A united Opposition on Tuesday forced deferment of the controversial Real Estate Bill, that seeks to regulate the realty business. Due to be put up for consideration and passage by the government in the Rajya Sabha, the bill was put off indefinitely after a united Opposition insisted on sending it to a select committee. The ruling NDA is, incidentally, in a minority in the parliamentary panel. The issue was raised by Samajwadi MP Naresh Agrawal, who was joined by Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad. Both demanded that the Real Estate ( Amendment) Bill be referred to a select commit- tee. Derek O’Brien ( TMC) also joined to make the same demand. The members said housing and poverty alleviation minister M. Venkaiah Naidu had assured the
House that it would be brought only after consultations with various parties.
Sensing the mood of the House, the government, which faces a numbers crunch in the Upper House, said it was not insisting on taking up the bill even though it was listed. Mr Naidu said he had informed the House that he would not take up the bill for consideration till all the consultations with various parties was over.