New Delhi: The government, which had to give up its plan to call extended Monsoon Session of Parliament to get the GST Bill approved, on Thursday said the Winter Session could be advanced immediately after the Bihar polls to pass the key reform measure, which it proposes to roll out from April next year.
Asking Congress, which virtually vetoed the government's plan to convene the special session, to "eschew from negative politics", Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said there is still scope for meeting the deadline for the GST Bill and expressed readiness to call an early Winter Session, which usually begins in the third week of November.
"I am terribly disappointed that we could not have the extended session to take up an important legislation like GST Bill, which is the need of the hour. But I have not given up my hope," he said here.
To a question on whether the government is still hopeful that it will be able to roll out GST from April 2016, Naidu replied in affirmative, saying there is still scope for this.
He indicated that the government is toying with the idea of the Winter Session immediately after the Bihar polls are over on November 8.
"Still there is scope. Once the Bihar elections are over, we can make one more effort. We have the Winter Session. It can be preponed. We can still meet the deadline," he said.
Holding that the public opinion is very strongly in favour of the GST Bill, Naidu said he was hopeful that Congress may revisit its stand on the issue.
He said Congress had participated in the debate over Lalit Modi controversy in Lok Sabha after earlier taking the stand of "no resignation, no discussion".
To a question whether the government is ready to accept three amendments, including of a tax ceiling of 18 per cent, and setting up of a regulatory mechanism on the issue of Goods and Services Tax (GST), Naidu was not categorical, saying,
"These issues have to be discussed in Parliament." The government plans to roll out GST, which seeks to replace all indirect taxes with a uniform levy, by April 1, 2016. GST is estimated to boost India's GDP by 1-2 per cent.
"The expression given by Congress for not cooperating (on calling the session) is totally irrational. It seems to be totally political.
"They want to block the progress of the country thinking that they are blocking Narendra Modi but Modi is here to stay at least till 2019," he said.
Naidu attacked Sonia Gandhi for her remarks on Tuesday that the Prime Minister has been "reduced to unedifying flip flops" and most of his poll promises were nothing more than "hawabaazi" (empty talk), accusing Congress of engaging in "dagabaazi (cheating)" people for last 50 years. Naidu also listed the achievemnets of the Modi government.
"If Congress thinks it can recover the lost ground through negative politics, it needs to take lesson from the results of civic and urban bodies polls in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Karnataka. The message is very clear," he said.
Asking Congress to "revise" its strategy and "engage" with the government, Naidu said the government walked the extra mile to accommodate the opposition and agreed to refer the land bill, housing bill and GST Bill to parliamentary committees.
He was also dismissive of Congress Working Committee raking up the demand for resignation of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and BJP Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.
"For public consumption, they can raise issues of resignation of this minister, that minister. You can demand resignations but nobody is going to resign. There is no force in your argument.
"It is the prerogative of the government (to keep a minister). You failed to convince Parliament," he said, noting that there was nothing against these minsters, which warranted their resignation.
Advising Congress not to give such "lame excuses", he said, "The need of the hour is to bury the past and look to the future of the country and its aspiriing youth. Politics of revenge will hurt the country and its youth. A broader understanding of national priorities is very important."
On whether the government will appeal to Sonia Gandhi to help in the passage of the GST Bill, Naidu said the government was ready to appeal to all, including Sonia and Rahul Gandhi.
"I am afraid Congress is not able to reconcile to the reality. The reality is Modi has been given a massive mandate.
The reality is BJP is winning state after state," he said. He, however, expressed the hope that Congress will ultimately "see reason" and support GST.
"I do not say it is coming down. Public opinion prevails and Congress friends will understand that," he said, recalling that the bills on coal and mines were passed by the government despite some opposition.
