Jaitley upbeat on GST passage in Monsoon session

 Finance Minister Arun Jaitley expressed confidence about passing the GST Bill in the Monsoon session, saying all UPA constituents are urging for its implementation along with other regional parties.

Interacting with journalists at Indian Women Press Corps, the Finance Minister said:  "If you actually do a number count about all those who are supporting the GST and every regional party has a strong interest in passage of the GST, because the state where it is going to have an impact, it will help those states. All UPA partners are making urges for GST. I am reasonably confident as when it comes to the crunch. It's extremely difficult for even the Congress to take a contrary step.”

Noting that it would be difficult for Congress to take a contrarian view, Jaitley said a Parliamentary vote is the only way forward if there was no consensus. "I am reasonably confident because... every political party, including the Congress, favours the GST. In fact, the Congress should have had the vision to support it more aggressively because they could claim the original authorship of the idea," Jaitley said when asked if he was confident of passing the Bill in the monsoon session.

 "So, whether it is SP or BSP in Uttar Pradesh, JD(U) or RJD in Bihar, the Left in West Bengal and Kerala, the Trinamool in West Bengal, BJD..., each one of the UPA partners from DMK to NCP is making strong noises in support," he said. The GST Bill, which has been approved by the Lok Sabha, is pending in the Rajya Sabha because of stiff resistance by the Congress.

‘Judiciary must have Lakshman Rekha’

Stepping up his attack on judicial overreach, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday said activism must be blended with restraint and all institutions must have a ‘LakshmanRekha’, DHNS reports from New Delhi.

“Judicial review is legitimate domain of judiciary but then the Lakshmanrekha has to be drawn by all the institutions themselves. Lakshmanrekha is very vital….the executive decisions are to be taken by the executive and not the judiciary,” Jaitley said during an interaction with journalists at the Indian Women Press Corps.