GST is in the interest of the nation, let Parliament function, PM tells all-party meet

A day ahead of the Winter Session of Parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday reached out to the opposition parties saying the Goods and Services Tax (GST) legislation was in the interest of the nation.

Urging the opposition parties to let the House function smoothly, the Prime Minister said at an all-party meeting, convened by the government, that Parliament should run constructively and fulfill the expectations of the people.

Referring to the address of the Prime Minister at the all-party meeting, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu said that the PM told the representatives of opposition parties that Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley would speak to them to address their doubts on GST legislation.

Bracing for the stormy Parliament Session, which is set to begin on Thursday, the government on Wednesday convened a meeting of leaders from all political parties.

The meeting discussed the smooth functioning of Parliament. It was attended by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, Left's Sitaram Yechury, LJP leader Chirag Paswan, Left leader D Raja, JDU's KC Tyagi and INLD leader Dushyant Chautala, among others.

Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan has also called an all-party meeting later on Wednesday evening. Apart from these, two other meetings, to be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is also slated to be held on later in the day.

While the BJP-led NDA government is slated to face stiff opposition in Parliament as it tries to push through important economic reforms, the Congress-led opposition parties are expected to make attempts to corner the government over issues such as intolerance.

Ahead of the meeting, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu had said that the priority of the government was ease of doing business and economic reforms, adding that they were also ready to discuss the issue of intolerance.

"We are also looking for some legal reforms whether it is GST or real estate bill. We are ready to debate any issue, including intolerance, in the upcoming Winter Session of Parliament. But we will look to take forward the main objective of the GST bill," said Naidu.