The government and the opposition seem to be bracing for a battle of nerves over the GST and National Herald issues in both the Houses of Parliament from Monday when the penultimate week of the winter session begins.
The main opposition Congress has rejected the charge that it was blocking the GST Bill because of the court summons to party president Sonia Gandhi and her deputy Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case, while BJP continues to insist there is a link between the two developments.
"I wish and pray that the GST (issue) is delinked (from the National Herald case)," Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said when asked whether he sees any link between the two issues.
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Former Finance Minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, however, said the ruling party was making a "bizarre link" and insisted the Congress has raised "genuine concerns" on the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
He rued that the opposition party has not received the "revised formulation" of the government on the issue after the party conveyed its suggestions on the bill to it.
Jaitley, however, contested Chidambaram's remarks, saying the government had communicated its response to "responsible leaders" of that party. "I am not responsible for communication gap in that party," he said.
Jaitley said that the three suggestions that have come from Congres now were "contrary to" what Chidambaram and his predecessor in Finance Ministry Pranab Mukherjee had proposed.
At the same time, Jaitley said, even on those "there is some meeting ground", which the government has conveyed to Congress.
"These issues can be overcome provided there is willingness from Congress party to honestly support the GST," he said.
While Jaitley stoutly rejected suggestions that the government had any role in the National Herald issue, saying neither Enforcement Directorate (ED) nor Income Tax department had taken any punitive action so far, Chidambaram flagged the "suspicion". Jaitley also said the government was not a party to the dispute.
Chidambaram recalled that after BJP came to power, the ED conducted a preliminary enquiry and closed the matter, saying "no case" existed.
"The ED (director) was abruptly transferred and the case was re-opened. That answers the question why there is suspicion about the BJP's motive...It (the issue) came to Parliament because the BJP did not remain neutral on this...That triggers a suspicion," he said.
Meanwhile, Sonia Gandhi went into a huddle with senior party leaders at her 10, Janpath residence to chalk out the party's strategy. Among those present in the meeting were Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad and party's deputy leader in the House Anand Sharma.
Chidambaram rejected suggestions that the National Herald
case had caused embarrassment for the party, but said "It has caused us some concern about the motives of this government and those who are supporting the government. It simply stiffened our back to fight the government."
"We wanted GST, they played petty games. We say you've distorted GST, they cry wolf. We've not changed. Nor have they," tweeted party's communication department chief Randeep Surjewala.
"National Herald case is a clear case of political vendetta by PM Narendra Modi against Congress," said former Union Minister Kapil Sibal.
On the charge that the government was targeting opposition leaders including Congress Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh Virbhadra Singh, Jaitley dared the main opposition party to debate the issue in Parliament.
"Let us have a debate on each of these cases they are mentioning. These cases are stinking... Let us have a debate in Parliament tomorrow," he said, adding the government had agreed to their wording for a debate in Parliament on the Lalit Modi controvesy.
"Let it be identically worded as was the debate on Raje and Swaraj. We agreed to that. Language was theirs. Let us just substitute those names and let us have a debate in Parliament tomorrow," Jaitley said.
On the GST, he said, "The three suggestions they have made go contrary to what Chidambaram and Pranab Mukherjee had presented before Parliament. Those three suggestions are contrary to what Chidambaram signed on the file. These are contrary to what their Chief Ministers had said in Parliamentary panel.
"They are clearly afterthoughts in order to delay the GST. I have no doubt in my mind," he said.
"What will be our response on these three issues, I have already conveyed to senior responsible people in Congress party...My suggestions are in consonance with their own proposals. If they go back on their proposals then I can't help it," Jaitley said.
Chidambaram said the concerns raised by Congress are genuine and the report of Arvind Subramanian, the Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of India "broadly endorses the Congress party concerns".
He also said till the government responds to Congress' suggestions, the party cannot say by which date the bill will be a reality.
Notwisthanding the suspense over the issue, the government has decided to make a fresh bid to pass the GST and real estate bills in the last week of the winter session.
While six bills each have been introduced and passed in Lok Sabha, the Rajya Sabha has passed only one bill.
10 Bills passed by Lok Sabha are still to be taken up by Rajya Sabha. In the Lok Sabha, the government has proposed to take up nine items of legislative and financial business during next week.
