Modi to hold 'Chai pe Charcha' with Sonia, Manmohan in a bid to end GST deadlock

Saffron

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posted on 8 years ago — updated on 1 second ago

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Modi invited the Congress leaders after they refused to give any commitment to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley over the passage of the bill.

Offering an olive branch to the Opposition to end the deadlock over the passage of Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reached out to former PM Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

Modi invited the Congress leaders for tea on Friday evening after they refused to give any commitment to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley over the contentious bill. He is likely to have invited them at his Race Course Road residence at 7 PM, sources said.

Confirming the telephonic conversation between the PM and the Congress President, Parliamentary Affairs Minister said, "Modi called Sonia Gandhi and offered her to join him for discussions on important legislations that are pending in the House. He has also requested Manmohan Singh to join them for the meeting. Everyone wants Parliament to function without any disruptions. I hope discussions on all issues will take place in the House," he said.

According to sources, the PM spoke to Manmohan Singh at an event in Rashtrapati Bhawan recently. The PM is said to have raised the issue of GST with his predecessor. Sources say that Manmohan had assured Modi that he will speak to Gandhis over the matter.

Jaitley had on Thursday said that Modi is willing to speak to everyone to get the landmark indirect tax law through. Jaitley, who needs Parliament approval for the GST Bill in the winter session to roll out the new indirect tax regime from planned April 1, had said that he has spoken to "almost all Congress leaders" on the issue.

"We have absolutely no hesitation even at the level of Prime Minister, we have never had in it in the past, we don't have it (now). He is willing to speak to everyone," he said when asked about Rahul's charge that the Prime Minister does not pick up phone to speak to Sonia like the then PM Manmohan Singh who used to engage with him as leader of the opposition in Rajya Sabha and Sushma Swaraj of Lok Sabha.

Meanwhile, Sonia has called a meeting of party MPs in Lok Sabha to strategise for the business that takes place in the House from Monday.