The passage of the Goods and Services Tax Bill (GST) in Rajya Sabha may depend on to what extend the government accepts the conditions set by the Opposition on a proposed debate on intolerance in both the Houses.
A senior Congress leader told BusinessLine here on Saturday that the party is in no hurry to pass the Bill and it will watch the government’s stand on other issues, such as intolerance, in Parliament.
“We are in no hurry. Yes, the meetings are taking place. But any major decisions on GST will depend on how well they respond to our demands on the debate on intolerance,” the leader said adding that the discussions on the commitment to Constitution could not deliberate the issue of intolerance in detail. “Approach of the government on this discussion on intolerance will be key to our strategy for the winter session,” he added.
The Congress insider also said that the party’s Parliamentary Party will take a final decision on the floor strategy. “We have a meeting of leaders on Monday. The next meeting of CPP will be decided in this meeting,” another MP said.
For the record, the Congress has been welcoming the governemnt’s decision to reach out to the Opposition. “It was a meeting to break the ice. Finally, something has happened after 18 months of hostility. We will discuss among ourselves about the next steps,” Deputy Leader of the party in Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma told BusinessLine.