Parliament Session to Begin Today, All Eyes on GST Bill

As the Monsoon Session of Parliament will begin on Monday, all eyes will be once again on the controversial Goods and Service Tax Bill.

Another round of face-off between the Narendra Modi government and the opposition parties can take place in this session as well. The latter is likely to raise the issue of unrest in Jammu and Kashmir, the political upheaval in Arunachal Pradesh.

Ahead of the session, the government tried to build consensus on GST in an all-party meeting. It remains to be seen whether the the government's attempt can push the bill through Rajya Sabha where Congress has blocked its passage due to numerical strength.

Former Union commerce minister Anand Sharma said thbe GST is an important issue but there are others than need to be discussed too. "Cooperation between the government and Opposition can't be restricted to one bill and one issue. It's for the Prime Minister to realise that all other important issues also need to be talked about," Sharma said.

Monday's session will be adjourned after obituary references to Dalpat Singh Paraste, Lok Sabha MP from Shahdol in Madhya Pradesh who passed away on June 1.

Five-term MP Paraste (66) had suffered a brain hemorrhage while he was attending a public function and passed away at a private medical hospital where he was undergoing treatment.

As per established norms, the House usually adjourns for the day after paying tributes to the departed Member who has died either during the inter-session period or during the session itself.

The government's legislative agenda includes taking up 16 bills, including three to replace ordinances.

Besides the GST, another key legislation pending passage is the Whistle Blowers Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2015, which was moved in December 2015 but the discussion on it had remained inconclusive. In the Budget Session, this bill could not be taken up for debate.

In the Lok Sabha, important pending bills include the Consumer Protection Bill 2015 and the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amendment Bill, 2015.

The last few sessions of Parliament have seen frequent face-offs between the ruling and the opposition benches but the second part of the Budget Session saw a relative improvement as far as the completion of government business was concerned.