GST Bill: Govt, Opposition set for the number game

It is number game for passage of Goods and Service Tax (GST) Bill in the Rajya Sabha. The indecision in the Congress camp whether to walk out or make concrete floor strategy along with the AIADMK and the Left parties is in a way making the government’s tasks easy to see through the Bill.

The government is hoping that the Bill will get passed if the Congress walks out of the House. “The Bill will be pressed for voting only if the quorum of 122 members present in the House is completed. Based on the voting pattern in the Lok Sabha, we have the support of over 140 members,” a senior Cabinet Minister said.

Being a Constitutional Amendment, the Bill requires 2/3{+r}{+d} majority of ‘present and voting’ members in each of the House to get approved. The Bill is likely to come up in the Upper House next week.

Though the Opposition is demanding that the Bill should go to a select committee of the Rajya Sabha, the Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Biju Janata Dal and the Trinamool Congress are not likely to press this demand beyond a point. The regional outfits feel that the Bill will help West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha. When asked about the Opposition’s demand for forming a select committee, he said the government will do only if there is compulsion.

The Opposition’s strategy too is to ensure presence of maximum number of members on the day of voting.

“The Bill is likely to be passed as there is no unity among the Opposition benches. We are, however, trying to get at least 100 members against the Bill. It is a difficult task as the principal

Opposition party Congress not taken a firm stand for a joint floor strategy,” an Opposition member engaged in talks with various parties said.

He said that though many parties believe that the Bill is good, they also feel that it can be made better by sending it to a select committee.

Ninety MPs from the Congress, the Left parties and the AIADMK are opposed to the Bill’s present form and are adamant on forming a select committee. Both the Congress and the Left parties urged the government to take a “sensible decision” on the Bill. Congress spokesperson Shakkeel Ahmed said the select committee can further strengthen the Bill.

CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury said the government is trying to bulldoze the parliamentary system. The GST Bill cannot go without Parliament’s scrutiny. It cannot be made into a law without going through the parliamentary procedure,” he said.