Give priority to other parties besides Congress in GST Bill talks: Shiv Sena to Centre

New Delhi, July 26 (ANI): Continuing to prod the Centre over the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill, the Shiv Sena on Tuesday asserted that if the government was serious about clearing the landmark Bill, then they need to bring all parties into the loop and not just the Congress party. Speaking to ANI here, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said that the Centre's approach of paying attention solely to the grand old party was not working out for them, adding that it was not going to solve the impasse over the Bill. Talking to a few parties is not going to solve the matter. The Shiv Sena also has some expectations from the Bill which we have given in written form. If no call is made on that, then we will have to stall it. If you will only talk to the Congress, then obviously other parties are going to raise objections," he added. Earlier the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ally had claimed that the Centre was using the landmark Bill as a tool to make up with the Congress party. The Congress Party has said that they would support a constructive and positive GST Bill and questioned the ruling dispensation for making changes in the provisions of the same. The Congress has three issues with the GST bill and wants the Centre to make necessary amendments to it. The party demands that a cap of 18 per cent be included in the GST Bill, deletion of the provision which allows imposition of one per cent tax by additional levy and an independent dispute mechanism. Meanwhile, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will meet his counterparts in states today to discuss the proposed amendments to the GST Bill that has been passed by Lok Sabha but is stuck in the Rajya Sabha. Following a meeting of the state finance ministers in Kolkata last month, Jaitley announced that every state had either supported or accepted the proposed GST, except Tamil Nadu which expressed its reservations and offered suggestions. (ANI)