CPP meet tomorrow may take stand on GST passage

The Congress’ strategy on the GST will become clear during party chief Sonia Gandhi’s address to a CPP general body meeting expected to be held during the week.

“Yes, the CPP general body meeting is likely to be held on July 20,” said a senior leader of the CPP.

Although the current mood in the party is to play a role “constructive Opposition” after the ruling BJP has been attacking it for being “destructive, obstructionist’ and trying to isolate from the rest of the Opposition on the GST, hardliners in the party are not fully convinced with the changing line.

“The BJP had stalled our GST bill for three years without any reason we should also delay it for three years,” said a Congress party hardliner, ignoring how the government has managed support of regional parties like the SP, BSP, Trinamul Congress, JD(U), NCP, BJD and even a section of the CPI(M) is in favour of the GST.

Responding to a question of the party’s present position on the GST, senior AICC spokesperson and the Congress’ deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma on Monday said, ‘We recognise that the government did reach out and the finance minister and the parliamentary affairs minister came to meet with the Leader of the Opposition and the deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha. The Congress leadership has been fully briefed about the discussions. The government, on its part, was to reach their own internal decision about the nature of response on Congress’ concerns and demands. We will be waiting now for the next meeting which will be a formal consultation where a concrete response will be given for us to take this matter in the right direction,” he said.

“We have also said that unlike the present ruling dispensation — the BJP — that opposed it for partisan politics, the Congress’ opposition is principled and has rich merit on all the issues that we have raised. And that is why we are now engaged constructively and you will get to know as and when there is a forward movement after the next formal meeting,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Congress is reaching out to other Opposition parties for floor coordination on the issues of national importance during the Monsoon Session of Parliament that began on Monday.

While Mr Sharma suggested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take Opposition leaders into confidence on national and international issues, he said in democracy the government and the Opposition has to engage in a dialogue.

“The problem was this government was non-engaging, confrontationist and arrogant. Instead of seeking the cooperation of the Congress Party, for long, the Prime Minister and his senior colleagues were losing no opportunity but to insult, to berate the opposition. So therefore if there is a positive development, the Congress Party as a mature and responsible national party, responds to that. We have always been for a constructive engagement,” he said.

He said the Congress is coordinating with the like-minded opposition parties, so that a collective voice is raised on national issues .

Meanwhile, Mrs Sonia Gandhi on Monday constituted a five member committee consisting of former Union minister V Kishore Chandra Deo,Jairam Ramesh,k h Muniyappa,Vincent Pala—all MPs and Arun Oraon ,to visit Kandhamal and find out facts which lead to the death of five persons in police firing on July 8.