)
The contentious land Bill is unlikely to feature in the monsoon session of Parliament that begins on Tuesday but the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday expressed hope that the Goods and Services Tax (GST) constitutional amendment Bill might get passed during the three-week long session.
Monday’s all-party meeting failed to end the deadlock between the ruling coalition and Congress, which persisted with its demand of “no resignations, no House”. BJP spokesperson MJ Akbar said the party has “reasons to be positive” about the passage of the GST Bill, but said “he wouldn’t like to pre-empt what happens in Parliament.”
It isn’t yet clear the quid pro quo the government might offer to persuade the Congress to support the GST Bill. But what government strategists made apparent were their efforts to reach out to some of the Opposition parties to isolate the Congress within the Opposition space. Akbar said Congress was one of the several political parties in Parliament and that people of India understand the “negativism and pseudo-aggression” of the Congress like that of a lost child.
The BJP ruled out resignations of any of its chief ministers or ministers. The Congress has demanded resignations of Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj for their alleged links with former Indian Premier League (IPL) commissioner Lalit Modi, while it has also demanded that Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan quit over the Vyapam scam.
Instead, the BJP also launched an attack on the “ruling family” of the Congress, demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged bribery of US $976,630 by US firm Louis Berger paid to win a contract in Goa in 2010. Akbar said the investigation by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was “only the proverbial tip of the iceberg” and needed to be investigated as to how much of this “loot was shared upwards to the ruling family of Delhi”.
ALSO READ: GST: Govt amenable to full compensation to states for 5 years
At the all-party meeting, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu told Opposition parties that Swaraj will make a statement in Parliament on her alleged links with Lalit Modi. During the meeting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the responsibility of running the House wasn’t just of the government but should be shared by all. He quoted Samajwadi Party (SP) Ram Gopal Yadav to stress the need to “move forward on the land Bill issue, incorporating suggestions from all sides. We should move positively on this issue.” Yadav had said that since there is no consensus on the issue, both government and the Opposition should make some adjustments to resolve the issue.
Speaker Sumitra Mahajan informed the meeting that the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) examining the controversial land acquisition Bill has been given a fresh extension to submit its report by August 3. The session ends on August 13.
In the evening, Prime Minister Modi held a meeting with all the NDA partners – the first meeting of its kind on the eve of a Parliament session since June 2014. NDA partners like Shiv Sena and Shiromani Akali Dal have been openly critical of the BJP’s failure to consult them on key issues, including the land Bill, and refusal to hold regular meetings with all NDA partners.
Monday’s all-party meeting failed to end the deadlock between the ruling coalition and Congress, which persisted with its demand of “no resignations, no House”. BJP spokesperson MJ Akbar said the party has “reasons to be positive” about the passage of the GST Bill, but said “he wouldn’t like to pre-empt what happens in Parliament.”
It isn’t yet clear the quid pro quo the government might offer to persuade the Congress to support the GST Bill. But what government strategists made apparent were their efforts to reach out to some of the Opposition parties to isolate the Congress within the Opposition space. Akbar said Congress was one of the several political parties in Parliament and that people of India understand the “negativism and pseudo-aggression” of the Congress like that of a lost child.
The BJP ruled out resignations of any of its chief ministers or ministers. The Congress has demanded resignations of Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj for their alleged links with former Indian Premier League (IPL) commissioner Lalit Modi, while it has also demanded that Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan quit over the Vyapam scam.
Instead, the BJP also launched an attack on the “ruling family” of the Congress, demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged bribery of US $976,630 by US firm Louis Berger paid to win a contract in Goa in 2010. Akbar said the investigation by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was “only the proverbial tip of the iceberg” and needed to be investigated as to how much of this “loot was shared upwards to the ruling family of Delhi”.
ALSO READ: GST: Govt amenable to full compensation to states for 5 years
At the all-party meeting, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu told Opposition parties that Swaraj will make a statement in Parliament on her alleged links with Lalit Modi. During the meeting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the responsibility of running the House wasn’t just of the government but should be shared by all. He quoted Samajwadi Party (SP) Ram Gopal Yadav to stress the need to “move forward on the land Bill issue, incorporating suggestions from all sides. We should move positively on this issue.” Yadav had said that since there is no consensus on the issue, both government and the Opposition should make some adjustments to resolve the issue.
Speaker Sumitra Mahajan informed the meeting that the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) examining the controversial land acquisition Bill has been given a fresh extension to submit its report by August 3. The session ends on August 13.
In the evening, Prime Minister Modi held a meeting with all the NDA partners – the first meeting of its kind on the eve of a Parliament session since June 2014. NDA partners like Shiv Sena and Shiromani Akali Dal have been openly critical of the BJP’s failure to consult them on key issues, including the land Bill, and refusal to hold regular meetings with all NDA partners.
