Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a strong pitch for multi-party support for the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill that the government wants to pass in the monsoon session of Parliament, scheduled to begin on Monday.
Addressing an all-party meeting called by the government, Mr. Modi said, “GST is of national importance; the issue here is not which government gets credit for its passage. All of us represent both the people and parties and let’s keep national interests above everything else.”
He also thanked all political parties for the stand taken by them on the recent incidents in Jammu and Kashmir. “Various parties have given statements on Kashmir events which benefited the country. This has sent a right message and I thank all the parties for the same,” he said, while complimenting them for speaking in “one voice.”
The Opposition on its part said the passage of the GST was affected by “a lack of trust between the States and the Centre.”
“How can you proceed in this context?” Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad asked.
Congress chief whip in the Lok Sabha, Jyotiraditya Scindia said, the party “wants a concrete draft proposal from the government on GST. If we know how they plan to address the three contentious issues, we can revert.”
The next meeting between the government and the Congress is expected to take place on Tuesday.