Govt woos Opposition for smooth session

After a wash-out Monsoon Session of Parliament, the government is leaving no stone unturned to make sure that the Winter Session is not a repeat.

The two all-party meetings ahead of the session, which starts on Thursday, signalled smooth functioning and raised hopes that important pieces of legislation, such as the Goods and Services Tax Bill, as well as 21 other Bills, would be passed.

Though prickly issues such as the ‘trend of intolerance’ across the country are likely to come up for debate, the principal Opposition party — the Congress — and the government seem to have decided to adopt a consultative approach. The government made it clear in both the meetings convened by Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu and Speaker Sumitra Mahajan here on Wednesday that it is ready to reach out to all parties.

Talking to reporters after the all-party meeting, Naidu said the passage of GST Bill is long overdue and sought cooperation of Opposition parties in this regard. He maintained that the government will address issues raised by the Congress on certain provisions of the Bill. The Congress, too, responded positively. “For us, each Bill is important. We want the GST to be passed. We want the Bill to be pro-industry, pro-trade and pro-consumers. Everyone should get the benefit of the GST,” said Opposition leader in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad. He hoped the Centre will address the concerns raised by the Congress, including fixing the GST at 18 per cent.

The government has also listed three ordinancesthe Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Ordinance, the Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Ordinance, and the Commercial Courts, Commercial Division and Commercial Appellate Division of High Courts Ordinance.

An amendment to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Bill is also listed along with anti-corruption legislations such as the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill and the Whistle Blowers Protection (Amendment) Bill. Both the Bills have been passed by the Lok Sabha.

The government has to get the support of Opposition parties to get these Bills passed in the Upper House. The BJP’s efforts to strengthen its numbers in the Rajya Sabha suffered a setback after the Bihar elections.

The controversial Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Amendment Bill, the High Court and the Supreme Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service) Amendment Bill, the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill, the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Bill and the Anti-Hijacking Bill, are also listed for passage in the Upper House.

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