Keen on GST bill, government may convene a short session

With the monsoon session of parliament turning out to be a washout, the Narendra Modi government is thinking of convening a short session in September -- mainly to secure passage for the Goods and Services Tax (GST) bill, sources said.

The sources said a "two-three-day session" could be convened in September as no major business could be carried out during the monsoon session that began on July 21 and ended on Thursday.

The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs, which met on Thursday, decided not to recommend immediate prorogation of the houses. The two houses were adjourned sine die.

The sources said the decision to reconvene the monsoon session would depend on the progress the government makes in getting the support of opposition parties on the GST bill in the Rajya Sabha where it lacks a majority.

The bill could not be taken up in the Rajya Sabha during the monsoon session despite government efforts.

The Congress forced repeated adjournments in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha over its demand for the resignations of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhra Raje over their alleged help to former IPL chief Lalit Modi and of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan over the Vyapam recruitment scam.