NEW DELHI, Dec 18:

The logjam in Rajya Sabhawas broken today with Oppositionagreeing for passage of some billsand allowing its normal function-ing in remaining three days ofWinter session after an all-partymeeting convened by Rajya SabhaChairman Hamid Ansari but aconsensus eluded GST.

After the hour-long delibera-tions, Ansari said the meetingwas “good”.

Members from different par-ties decided to pass the SC ST(Prevention of Atrocities)Amendment Bill, theAppropriation Bills, the AntiHijacking Bill, the Atomic EnergyAmendment Bill, the CommercialCourts Ordinance Bill and theArbitration and ConciliationAmendment Bill by December 23when the current session comes toan end, sources said.

Leader of Opposition in theRajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azadsaid, “nothing new was dis-cussed at this meeting apartfrom what was discussed earlierat the Business AdvisoryCommittee (BAC) meeting.”

When asked whetherCongress has agreed to passageof some bills, he said that some

of the bills on which his partyhas committed support like theSC/ST bill will be passed along-with Appropriation Bill.

“There was no discussion onGST. The discussion was onsome bills on which there is ageneral consensus. Everybody isaware that there is no consensuson GST. Not only Congress hassome reservations but other par-ties also ,” Azad said whenasked whether any decision onGST was taken in the meeting.

The GST bill, which hasalready been passed by the LokSabha, must be passed by theRajya Sabha by December 23 andthen sent to the states for passageto enable the GST regime to berolled out by April 1, 2016.

Minister of State forParliamentary Affairs MukhtarAbbas Naqvi, however, said,“there has been a very meaning-ful discussion in the meeting. Anumber of parties haveexpressed concern overParliament not functioning.

“All of them decided that theHouse should function. It hasbeen decided to pass the pendinggovernment bills even by sittinglate,” he said.

Asked about the crucial GSTbill, Naqvi said that Finance

Minister Arun Jaitley made anappeal to the opposition to passthe constitution bill as well inthe conducive atmosphere thathas emerged after the meeting.

“But, I don’t think the mainopposition party has an agree-ment on this,” he said, addingthat other opposition partiesfavour a passage of the bill.

Ever since the winter sessionstarted on November 26, pro-ceedings in the Rajya Sabhahave been disrupted over a vari-ety of issues with Congressaccusing the Modi governmentof “political vendetta” in thewake of the National Herald

case. The Arunachal Pradeshimbroglio and Union Minister VK Singh’s ‘dog’ remarks alsotriggered uproar in the House.

It was also decided that threebills - the Child Labour(Prohibition and Regulation)Amendment Bill, the WhistleBlowers Protection AmendmentBill and the Juvenile Justice (Careand Protection of Children) Bill -will be discussed during theremaining period but the course ofaction will be decided upon later.

Opposition wants two billsincluding the Whistle BlowersProtection Bill to be referred to aSelect Committee.(PTI)

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2015 (PAGE 20) DAILY EXCELSIOR, JAMMU

RS logjam ends but no consensus on GST