The just concluded Budget session so far has been the most productive Parliament session since the Modi government came to office, even though the session could not pass major legislations like the GST Bill and the government and the opposition exchanged fire over issues like the Rohith Vemula suicide and JNU row. The reason for the better functioning of session was completely because of the better reach efforts from the government’s end for legislations to be passed. Though most opposition parties have expressed disagreement with some aspects of the Bill, many did not turn their reservations into a vote against the proposed legislation. Interestingly, when the Bill was taken up by Lok Sabha shortly after the Rajya Sabha vote, TMC and BJD “appealed” to the government to accept the “wisdom” of the elders and go along with the amendments while Congress absented itself in the Lower House. While the government lost the RS vote, the absences were seen to reflect complex political equations as TMC was unwilling to be on the same side as the Congress-Left alliance with the first phase of the Bengal elections a little over a fortnight away. The GST Constitutional Amendment Bill, which was introduced in the Lok Sabha by the Congress Government in 2011, has lapsed and so the Modi government had to come up with a fresh Bill. The Bill that amends the Constitution and requires a two-thirds majority in both Houses to vote for it, already has the consent of states who are key stakeholders. The BJP has a big majority in the Lok Sabha or Lower House and will not find it difficult to pass the Bill in that House. But it is in a minority in the Upper House or Rajya Sabha and is struggling to pass key legislation there. The GST once introduced would be able to address this prevailing divide and bring in uniformity which ultimately would be a big relief for the consumer.
