New Delhi: Government on Wednesday gave up plans to reconvene a session of Parliament to get GST Constitutional Amendment Bill approved, a move that is likely to delay the implementation of Goods and Services Tax by April 1, 2016.
The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to recommend to the President to prorogue the Monsoon Session, which was adjourned last month, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said on Wednesday.
The government had kept the Monsoon Session alive in hopes of building a consensus on GST, which has been billed as one of the biggest economic reform.
But the opposition Congress refused to cooperate unless its demands for action against External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and chief ministers of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh for alleged irregularities were met.
The government was keen on special session to obtain Parliament's nod for the constitution amendment bill on the Goods and Services Tax (GST) but opted against it "for the time being" as talks with Congress did not yield results, Jaitley said.
He said efforts to reach an agreement on the GST Bill would continue.
"We will keep trying. We are in contact with all political parties. And nearly all parties except Congress are in favour of this bill. In Lok Sabha, except Congress all political parties had voted in favour of the bill. Congress had walked out, they (other parties) had not walked out. If situation changes then Cabinet will again reconsider the matter," he added.
The next Parliament session is expected in November. On doubts over GST missing the April 1, 2016 target, he said, "Your guess is as good as mine."
