Jairam holds BJP, Modi responsible for GST Bill deadlock

09 January, Bhubaneswar

Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Jairam Ramesh Saturday held Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP responsible for the non-passing of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill in Parliament.Mr Ramesh said the bill could not be passed in Parliament as neither Prime Minister Narendra Modi nor the Union Minister of state for Finance Jayant Sinha wanted the bill to be passed.

He, however, did not elaborate on his claim.The Congress leader denied the allegation of Sinha at a press conference here yesterday that the indirect tax reform bill could not be passed either in monsoon or in winter session of the parliament as the Congress stalled the proceedings of the legislature on some non-issues.
Ramesh said the Congress was not opposed to the country’s biggest taxreform bill and wanted the bill to be passed as soon as possible. The Congress is ready to support the government to pass the bill the day it concedes to its three conditions, he said. The Congress wanted the government to ensure standard GST rate does not exceed 18 per cent, removal of the one per cent additional tax proposed in the bill and set up an independent judiciary body to regulate dispute.

Ramesh said the bill was first introduced in Parliament during the UPA government in March 2011 and was sent to the parliament standing committee on Finance in August, 2013. The standing committee which generally takes five to six months to take a decision took two and half years as the then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi was opposed to it.

He again reiterated that the BJP did not want the bill to be passed and only making a hue and cry over it blaming the Congress.

On the Polavaram issue, he said, the union government should convene a meeting of all the three affected states and resolve the problem.