Favour GST but it should be implementable: Veerappa Moily

With just seven working days left in this Parliament session, the fate of many crucial bills hangs in the balance. The Finance Bill has been postponed by a day to April 30 to accommodate a discussion on supplementary demand for grants.

The Appropriations Bill will be taken up on Wednesday. The Constitutional Amendment Bill to facilitate GST may be taken up next week. But no forward movement on the land acquisition bill which could be put off for the next session.

In an interview to CNBC-TV18, Veerappa Moily, former oil minister and senior leader, Congress, says most of the Opposition is against the Land Bill and the BJP government doesn’t seem too keen to discuss it in the Parliament, so it is unlikely to be passed this session.

Furthermore, while saying the GST Bill is being favoured by the Congress, the government has to make it implementable in order to see success.Below is the verbatim transcript of the interview to CNBC-TV18 .

Q: The Goods and Services Tax constitutional amendment bill is going to be taken up by parliament next week. The Congress party so far has been maintaining that the GST bill be sent back to a standing committee but why? This has been a matter that has been under discussion and deliberation from the time that Shri Pranab Mukherjee was the Finance Minister. Your government oversaw the empowered panel discuss and debate the issues of the GST bill. Why are you now asking for the bill to be sent back to the standing committee?

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Veerappa Moily

Former Oil Minister

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Moily: The earlier bill which we had moved and that had gone to the standing committee, the standing committee after the due deliberation they sent back that report and that is how we moved on but because of the lapse of the period of the last session they had to bring new one but while bringing new one they have in fact effected number of changes. I am not speaking about other minor changes but there are few fundamental changes which they are effected which will not make the act or the bill to take off at all. Number one is with regard to the introduction of the clause that everything now if there is a dispute it will be decided by voting and as against the consensus which was contemplated in our original bill but the question is that the voting-in a federal system like this when there is a coalition government here and also various parties ruling various states and also the conflict between the manufacturing states and also the non-manufacturing states…(interrupted).

Q: The Finance Minister of Kerala Mr KM Mani who is also heading the empowered panel on the GST speaking to us on this channel clarified that all the issue between producing states and consuming states have now been resolved, that there is consensus that between producing states and consuming states on the constitutional amendment bill which is now being tabled in parliament. Are your differences so dire that you will not allow this bill or you will not support the bill if the government were to move it?

Moily: There are few things; constitutional amendment will bring out the frame of the bill to come. Goods and Services bill will have to be proposed later, both by the Centre separately and also the respective states. This is a road map; it is not as if that once the constitutional amendment is passed, everything is over…(interrupted).

Q: It has to go to the legislative assemblies as well, we are aware of that but a straight forward question, this is going to be, we are given to understand in parliament next week now because the finance bill will come up on the 30 th and perhaps that has forced the government to push the GST bill to next week. Will the Congress support the bill, will it not support the bill?

Moily: You can’t answer this question in a straight line because we are insisting that it has to go to the standing committee. This government particularly since one year, they don’t want any bill to go to any standing committee, they would like to straightaway pass it and this is not a method in which a parliamentary democracy should function, they can as well wind up the standing committees. This is what we are pleading and other day also we pressed for it and next time also we are going to press for it but at the same time one thing is clear that the constitutional amendment which we brought about and also the goods and services act bill which we wanted to bring in, it was more progressive one, we are insisting for this government to reintroduce again otherwise this kind of an act or a bill or a process will get stuck up, they will have to make a lot of preparation on the..(Interrupted).

Q: On most other issues the TMC does not support but on the issue of the GST will you support this government that has been the public position so far, will you continue to support this government on the GST bill?

Trivedi: Lot would depend on the approach of the government and it would depend how they take the opposition with them mainly the Congress. As far as TMC is concerned on principle we have said that depending on the discussion we could be saying yes to the GST but we need to get into the debate in the parliament on the GST.

Q: May I ask you what do you mean by it will depend on the way that the government pursues its discussion? What will make you for instance change your mind on supporting the bill?

Trivedi: At the moment we have publicly mentioned that we are with the bill but in case if there are certain changes when they bring amendments and all if at all which is not in the federal structure or which is not suitable to our state in that situation otherwise as it is what we have said publicly that we would be part.