PATNA, Aug 28:
Observing that reform measures were required to sustain the economic growth of the country, the Centre today said that it might convene a special session of Parliament next month to seek passage of the GST and other bills with cooperation from the opposition.
“It’s imperative that reforms measures like the GST bill, Land Acquisition (amendment) bill, Negotiable Instruments (amendment) bill and others related to taxation has to be passed by Parliament to sustain economic growth in the country for which the Centre may convene special session of Parliament next month,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu told reporters here.
He ruled out convening of joint session of Parliament for passage of crucial legislations saying that most of these bills were in the nature of amendment bills which “have to be passed by both houses separately”.
Stating that the NDA government has “done its best” to accommodate the opposition by referring most of bills being objected to them to the select committees for examination of their objections, Naidu said that it was the turn of the opposition, more so the Congress and its allies to reciprocate and cooperate with the Government in passage of these bills, including the GST, during the special session.
Observing that the NDA government has succeeded to bring the economy, marred by fiscal, revenue, current account and trust deficits of the pre-BJP dispensation, “back on rails”, the Union Minister said that more reformist measures, including roll out of the GST in 2016, was required to sustain India’s growth story.
Noting that the Government has succeeding in getting the crucial reform bills, including the GST, passed by the Lok Sabha, Naidu said that these bills were pending in the Upper House where the Congress-led opposition had been stalling its passage by not allowing the Rajya Sabha to function at all during the just-concluded monsoon session.
“There is no point for the Congress and its allies to oppose the GST for the sake of opposition as passage of this crucial bill is necessary to reform taxation for benefit of all,” he said.
Similarly, he said, the “antagonistic stand” of Congress and some other opposition parties on the Land Acquisition (Amendment) Act, 2013 was “baffling” as the Government has incorporated nine amendments suggested by the opposition even as 28 states have voiced their view favouring passage of the said bill so that infrastructure projects could be taken up at the earliest.
Justifying amendment moved by the NDA Government in the Land Acquisition Act, 2013, Naidu said that the Congress had kept 13 key points out of the legislation which was necessary for acquisition of land for speeding execution of infrastructure projects.
Slamming Congress for its adversarial approach to pro-reform measures being proposed by the NDA Government, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister said that the main opposition has not been able to “digest” the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and “so it does not want him and his Government to succeed at all”.
“The Government, on the other, is game to Congress opposing it, but expects the opposition party to respect mandate and to allow Parliament to function,” he said.
Seeking to put the relations between the Government and opposition in a perspective, Naidu said, “the opposition must have its say, but the government must have its way.”
“You (Congress and its allies) are hurting the interests of the country and its people more than hurting the Narendra Modi Government (by not allowing Parliament to function),” Naidu said. (PTI)
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