New Delhi:- Congress today took credit for the passage of several bills in the Budget session so far but struck a cautious note on government’s claim that the much delayed GST bill would be passed in the second phase of the Parliament session.
“We will cross the bridge, when we come to it,” Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said at a joint press conference he addressed with M Veerappa Moily a day after the conclusion of the first part of the Budget session.
Asked about Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu expressing confidence that the key GST bill would be passed in the second phase, he said the government has so far not talked to the opposition on taking up the bill.
Insisting that such bills are first taken up by the government with opposition and other political parties in the Business Advisory Committees of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, he said the GST was not brought up there.
Azad replied in a similar vein when asked about Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s statement that it was difficult to accept Congress’ demand to cap GST rate in the pending Constitution Amendment bill.
Seeking to take credit for passage of several bills, Moily said, “Rajya Sabha functioned at 129 per cent of the scheduled time and Lok Sabha at 120 per cent. This is in contrast to the performance of the Opposition led by BJP during UPA-II, when the House wasn’t allowed to function.”
Azad said it was on the insistence of Congress, and not the government, there were extra sittings in Parliament.
“Without the cooperation of Congress, no legislation would have been passed in the Rajya Sabha,” he said underlining that the government lacked majority in the Upper House.
The Leader of the Opposition insisted that the amendments passed in the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address and Aadhaar Bill had sent a “strong message” to the government to “not take the Rajya Sabha lightly.”
He claimed the Prime Minister had refused to answer “any of the issues” that were raised by the Opposition, including the Pathankot terror attack, farmers suffering due to unseasonal rains, black money, and the Vijay Mallya issue.
“Sadly, the Prime Minister did not respond to any of these questions.”
Attacking the government on its claim of streamling defence purchases, Azad said, “The government didn’t streamline defence procurement, but ended it”.
Citing an example, he said during the UPA rule, it was decided to go in for 126 Rafale fighter jets with the deal including transfer of technology from France.
“We were to receive 18 jets and 108 jets were to be manufactured by HAL. This was Make in India. But, the PM and his new government scrapped the deal. Instead they decided to buy 36 readymade jets,” he said.
Noting that this deal was set to be signed during the Republic Day visit of French President Francois Hollande, he said, but it has been three months, and there is still “no deal”.
PTI
