The Centre on Tuesday said it was open to convening another leg of the monsoon session of Parliament to pass the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu said the government was holding parleys with the Opposition for an extended Monsoon Session and would decide on the matter after the talks.

However, the feelers have so far failed to break the impasse, with the Opposition telling the government that it should address their concerns on the GST Bill and also take action in the Lalitgate and Vyapam issues.

Asked about the Opposition’s suggestions on the GST Bill, Naidu said any amendment would have to be approved by Parliament and discussed in the House, adding that the concerns of the States had already been taken into consideration while drafting the legislation.

Naidu’s meeting on Tuesday with Mallikarjun Kharge, the Congress party’s leader in the Lok Sabha, did not lead to a breakthrough. “Unless we see what the amended clauses are or … the agreement between the proposals of the standing committee and the government, and unless we see the final Bill, we cannot comment,” Kharge said.

The Left parties termed Naidu’s attempts an ‘eyewash’. “The government is being criticised widely for its undemocratic approach. So, he wants to give a picture to the public that he is doing something. We have several apprehensions about the GST Bill, including its anti-federal character. The Centre is yet to respond to such issues,” said CPI(M) deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha KN Balagopal.

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