Confrontation jeopardises GST

The hope of getting GST Bill, which is vital for carrying economic reforms forward with speed, is getting dimmer and dimmer with the increasing confrontation over National Herald case between BJP and Congress. Congress President Sonia Gandhi and her son and party vice president Rahul Gandhi have been summoned to appear before the court in this case. Congress terms it as political vendetta of ruling party against the opposition. National Herald, an English Daily, was started by the first Prime Minister and the tallest Congress leader late Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru. He had written 72 editorials for the paper and his analytical write-up on the first atomic explosion test in 1954 under the Title 'Mauth Ka Saudagar' was up to the mark. It was run by Associated Journal Pvt.Ltd.(AJL). It was like the mouthpiece of the Congress Party on which only senior party leaders were on its board of directors. When AJL ran into the debt of Rs. 90 crore, a charitable company under Company Act 25 called Young India was formed in which Sonia and Rhaul had 38 per cent shares each and the rest share holders were Moti Lal Bora, Oscar Faernandes, Suman Dubey and Sam Pitroda. The Board of Directors of Young India took over AJL and paid off its debt of Rs. 90. The news paper publication was stopped in 2008 due to financial crunch. It is estimated that AJL has immovable property worth over Rs. 2000 crore spread over the country. The control of all the immovable property went to Young India. Though Young India is a charitable company of which even Board of Directors can not sell its property or use it for the purpose of any commercial benefit, how is the case of corruption against Sonia, Rahul and others to be made out? Subramanim Swamy charged Sonia, Rahul and other members of Congress party who are on Board of Director with grabbing the AJL property through Young India. He charges them with the criminal breach of trust. Swamy is not an ordinary member of the BJP. He is its central committee member. Though it appears to be his profession to implicate his political opponents in court cases without any rhyme or reason, he has also caused a great hurdle in passing the GST bill in Parliament as Congress describes court summons as political vendetta. While govt. and the nation as well needs earnestly to pass the GST Bill to give impetus to the economic reforms process in the countrty, the disgruntled party leader like Subramanium Swamy jeopardised the hope of passing it by antagonizing the main opposition Congress party. Without the support of Congress Party in Parliament, the GST Bill can not be passed. Due to the inevitable role of the Congress party in passing the GST Bill, PM Modi had reached out to the opposition and showed an example of statesmanship by inviting Congress President Sonia Gandhi and former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to talk over tea about how to pass it . Congress also appeared co-operative in regard to GST. But the court summons in the case of no value in terms of corruption have brought the ruling BJP and the main opposition Congress on the path confrontation, resulting in the logjam in Parliament.