Rahul says Congress wants GST but with riders

With the winter session of Parliament beginning on Thursday, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said his party is ready to talk to the government on the Goods and Services (GST) Bill, even as there are differences with the government on three major issues.

"Though the Congress Party wants the GST, it should be simplified," he said, adding that the BJP's stand is different from his party.

"The Congress Party has very strong views on policy. We have views on the GST, we support the GST. But we have raised specific concerns. We are more than happy to discuss GST, but the approach has to be of reaching out," he added.

When asked about his party's agenda for the winter session of Parliament that begins on Thursday, Rahul said there are several issues that the opposition would be raising, including intolerance.

When asked about attacks on Bollywood actors Aamir Khan and Shahrukh Khan over their statement on growing intolerance, "What is being happening for the past two weeks is very disturbing and the Prime Minister silence on these issues.

"The meaning of India is to 'live and let live'. India is a country of brotherhood and love, but the thinking of the BJP and the RSS is to get an Indian in fight with the other Indian, which is damaging for the country," he told reporters after emerging from Mount Carmel College here after addressing the students.

"I had quite a good interaction with the students, and the discussion was quiet broad. We discussed intolerance. We discussed India is about bringing people together, India is about carrying everybody, listening everybody and not hating anybody. A number of other things were discussed, including the GST, and I had a nice time," he said.

On Swachh Bharat, he said half the room said nothing had happened and some people said something had happened. On Make in India, I think more people said not much has happened, though some said things have happened," he said.