Venkaiah Naidu meets Sonia Gandhi, seeks Congress cooperation in passage of critical bills

    

Venkaiah Naidu meets Sonia Gandhi, seeks Congress cooperation in passage of critical bills

    Union Parliamentary Minister  m. Venkaiah Naidu met Congress president Sonia Gandhi to day to discuss the passage of critical bills in the upcoming budget session of Parliament.

      The government is keen on passing the much-important Goods and Services Tax (GST) reform and the Real Estate bill, but the Congress stands as an impediment in its way, especially in the Rajya Sabha where the government does not enjoy a majority.

Naidu therefore seeks the cooperation of the Congress party in the passage of bills, the PTI reported.

     mr.  Naidu also told Gandhi that the government was ready to call an early Budget session, if required and if all parties agree to it.

          The GST bill was not passed in Parliament amid the uproar over the National Herald controversy in which Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi were named accused by the court. Even though the government enjoys a brute majority in the Lok Sabha, it was unable to build a consensus on the GST bill. The Rajya Sabha was much less productive than the lower house.

         For the BJP-led government at the centre, passage of the GST bill is critical to speed up the reforms that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has in mind. Several state governments are in support of the bill as it seeks to bring greater revenues to their respective treasuries.

       The bill will ensure reduction of tax outflow into the hands of consumers and help in increased compliance.