Government, Congress put onus of GST bill on each other

A blame game has begun on the GST bill between the Opposition and the government even though the latter is yet to test its strength in the Rajya Sabha.

The floor managers have not yet convinced a block of about 90 MPs for their support. The main Opposition Congress on Monday put the onus of ensuring passage of the bill on the government, saying it is yet to revert to the Opposition parties on their concerns. The BJP leaders and some ministers have already launched a whisper campaign against the Congress, saying it anti-growth while the “young turks” in the Congress say it cannot become a B-team of the Modi government as Mr Modi himself had opposed the GST when he was Gujarat CM.

“The BJP has no right to give us a lecture us on responsible Opposition after stalling our GST bill,” they pointed out.

Although the BJP is mounting pressure on the Congress to support GST, it cannot afford to antagonise it because the Congress has been in power in Karnataka, Kerala, Assam, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand and a few states in the Northeast.

Interestingly, the government managers are speaking in different voices on this issue. Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala Monday said the “ball is in their court. The government has to take a call and revert to Opposition parties as to how the GST bill does not become a kill-GST bill, but rather remains an effective GST bill”.