This Article is From Nov 27, 2015

Rahul Gandhi, Not Invited, Says PM Called Meeting 'Under Pressure'

Rahul Gandhi, Not Invited, Says PM Called Meeting 'Under Pressure'

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi speaks to reporters outside Parliament

New Delhi: Shortly after it was announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had invited Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh for discussions over tea, Rahul Gandhi said that the government had been forced to take that step.

"This meeting is happening after public pressure. This is not the way he functions," said Mr Gandhi, who was not invited.

PM Modi's meeting with his predecessor Dr Singh and the Congress president took place against the backdrop of the government's attempts to push the blocked Goods and Services Tax or GST, the government's most ambitious tax reform.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu were also present at the meeting.

"We brought the GST bill in the first place and we want it passed. We have raised our concerns on three issues and if they agree to it we will pass GST," Mr Gandhi told reporters, adding: "We don't want the common man to suffer, that is why we want a cap on the tax."

Yesterday, speaking exclusively to NDTV, Sonia and Rahul Gandhi highlighted the issues that they said were non-negotiable on GST - the 1% tax for manufacturers, the constitutional cap of 18 percent for GST rate and an independent dispute resolution mechanism for GST.

The government wants to implement GST by April 2016, but the deadline may be missed if Parliament does not pass the bill in the winter session.

The GST will create a single market in India after doing away with state levies and is expected to boost the economy.
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