Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu has appealed to political parties, especially the Congress, to help pass Constitution (122nd Amendment) Bill, 2014, popularly known as Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill, and CAMPA (Compensatory Afforestation Management and Planning Authority) Bill in the current session of Parliament.
“Its not correct to put hurdles to the GST and the CAMPA Bills which would benefit the States and the country at large,” Mr. Naidu said talking to reporters outside the burial site of former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam after laying the foundation stone for ‘Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam National Memorial’ at Pei Karumbu near here on Wednesday.
Stating that the passage of the GST Bill would ensure that the country would grow at 1.5 per cent to two per cent, he said Finance Minister Arun Jaitely had a detailed discussion on the Bill with the Congress and addressed all the issues raised by it. He suggested that the Congress could raise any further issues in Parliament.
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States could have benefited to the tune of Rs. 40,000 crore in the last rainy season had the CAMPA Bill been passed, but they were deprived of the benefits, he said, and appealed to political parties not to obstruct the smooth functioning of Parliament.
Stating that “the treasury benches could propose, the opposition could oppose and the house could dispose”, Mr. Naidu said this was how Parliament should function. People would be definitely unhappy with political parties which tried to block the passage of the Bills, he said.