Bhubaneswar, Jan. 9: Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh today said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP did not want the Goods and Services Tax (GST) bill to be passed in the parliament.
He also said the Biju Janata Dal should make its stand clear on the bill.
Sanjib Mukherjee
Reacting to the comments made by minister of state for finance Jayanta Sinha here yesterday that the Congress was stalling the passage of the bill, Ramesh told newspersons here: "The Congress is not at all against the GST bill. The UPA government first introduced the bill in March 2011."
However, the former Union minister, who was here for the Tata Steel Bhubaneswar Literary Meet at the regional centre of the Rashtriya Lalit Kala Kendra here, said that it took two and a half years for the parliamentary standing committee, headed by BJP leader Jaswant Sinha, to submit its report. He said the process was delayed due to opposition from Narendra Modi-led Gujarat government.
Ramesh said the Congress had set three conditions to support the revised bill introduced by the NDA government. "First, the GST should not exceed 18 per cent of the value of the product. Secondly, we want the removal of 1 per cent additional tax. The third condition is that the government should set up an independent judicial body to address disputes," he said.
"Congress is not only pro-industry, but also pro-consumer," Ramesh added.
The Congress leader reiterated the demand that the CBI inquiry into the mining scam and deposit collection scam should be monitored by the Supreme Court. "We have confidence in the Supreme Court and CBI, but not in Modi government," he said.
Asked about incidents of Congress workers hurling eggs at BJD leaders and ministers, Ramesh said the Opposition's role was to expose the government. " Lekin andese omlette khana beheter hai (But, it's better to make omelettes with the eggs)," he quipped.
Ramesh also spoke about environmental conservation and growth that he has covered in one of his recent books, Green Signals. He said: "I was a growth hawk focusing on economic growth but 26 months in the ministry of environment transformed me when I realised how environment concerns may be a part of lifestyle in the West, but it is livelihood in India."
