Congress tells Sonia Gandhi not to support GST

While the Congress’ stated position has been in favour of the GST Bill, it is opposing the legislation by raising certain concerns. In fact, the party’s three members in the Rajya Sabha Select Committee on GST — Madhusudan Mistry, Mani Shankar Aiyar and Bhalchandra Mungekar — have given a dissent note saying the Constitution amendment bill is pitted with compromis-es, exclusions and exceptions that make it impossible for them to extend support.

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had said at the Congress chief ministers’ meeting here on June 9 this year: “We made every effort to make GST a reality but we were up against an obstructionist BJP. Now, of course, the BJP has become the greatest champion of GST, but I am not sure that the legislation we are presently considering is the best route forward. It helps neither the Centre nor does it help the states, at least the majority of them.”

A CWC member told this correspondent on Monday that he has already written a letter to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi urging her not to support the GST Bill. Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached out to the main Opposition on November 27 for the first time in the last 18 months to seek its support. He had a 45-minute discussion with Mrs Gandhi and Dr Manmohan Singh on the issue. A Congress strategist on Monday indicated the party is not in a hurry to decide. There will be no forward movement on this issue at least for a week as Mrs Gandhi has gone to the US.

A section of Congress MPs asked why they should support the GST Bill if the BJP had played politics on it. “The BJP will get mileage from it ... but we are not here to strengthen the BJP,” a senior MP said.

The Congress is assessing whether the government is really serious about passing the bill or wants to blame the Opposition. “Manmohan Singh had already held two meetings with Narendra Modi on GST but that does not mean we are supporting the bill,” Congress insiders said.

Over 90 members in the Rajya Sabha — from the Congress, AIADMK, Left and some one-member parties — have strong reservations on the GST Bill. The government managers who had earlier floated the idea of calling a joint sitting of Parliament to pass the Land Bill are speaking of consensus because the ruling front is in a minority in the Rajya Sabha.