More than 55% of the Rajya Sabha members supported the Government’s Goods and Services Tax legalization. Most of the Regional Parties like J Jayalalitha’s AIADMK and Mayawati’s BSP fully supported GST in parliament. Along with BJP’s 53 MPs, 55% of the strength of the total 243 MPs totally gave their support to the Bill account.
When the Bill was introduced in Rajya Sabha, the parties which were along with the BJP Government were Trinamool Congress, NCP, SAD, SP, JD(U), TDP, TRS, Shiv Sena, BJD and RJD. The Parties left like CPI(M) and CPI did not oppose GST but wanted some issues of the state to be resolved by the government in all-party meeting.
AIADMK gave some conditions for supporting the Bill. The BSP, which already declared their unconditional support over the Bill may now Rethink about it, after the recent remarks made by an Uttar Pradesh BJP leader over Mayawati and the attacks on Dalits in Gujarat.
BJD’s Lok Sabha MP Bhartruhari Mehtab said “We are in favour of the Bill, we support it”
T Devender Goud, Rajya Sabha MP of TDP, said,”If it benefits the country, we will definitely support it.”
SAD spokesperson and Lok Sabha MP Chandumajra, said, “We only had one concern, that there should be a clause to protect state businesses from any adverse impact for five years. It would be better to extend that to 10 years. But we support the Bill. It is beneficial for the country and states”
Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut, a Rajya Sabha MP, said, “There is no opposition to GST. We have submitted a memorandum on our demands to the government. But the BJP wants to pass GST by talking only to the Congress. They need to talk to allies like Sena and Akali Dal, either through an all-party meeting, a meeting of NDA constituents or one-to-one. Issues like abolition of octroi, a major revenue earner for Mumbai, needs to be addressed.”
TMC’s Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien, said, “We have consistently supported it because we believe it is good for the country and the states. When BJP was in opposition, it blocked GST. Now Congress is doing the same. The country cannot afford to see people play ping pong,”
SP’s MP Naresh Agrawal said,”We want the government to address two main concerns: the GST rate should not go above 18 per cent and we oppose the one percent additional tax.”
NCP Leader Praful Patel said, “On the GST issue, our stand remains clear that it is in the interests of the country and is a legislation proposed by the UPA. I am sure certain glitches can be sorted out as we progress. It is advisable at this stage to pass it.”
TRS Leader K Keshava Rao said, “We have discussed VAT and got it. We are supporting it,”
CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, expressed the fear of a state not having the right to impose a tax To raise the resources, not even during Natural Calamities.
A Government functionary, who did not wish to be named, said, “We have 160-plus members supporting the legislation”
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