Government reaches out to Congress over GST passage

New Delhi, July 14 (IANS) The government on Thursday reached out to the opposition Congress in a bid to pass the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill in the coming Monsoon Session of Parliament.

Minister for Information and Broadcasting M. Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday spoke on the phone with Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad and sought the Congress party's support to pass the GST Bill, BJP sources said.

The GST Bill has been pending for long in the Rajya Sabha, where the government lacks a majority.

According to BJP sources, the government is likely to hold talks with Congress leaders to sort out differences on the issue.

A meeting of top Congress leaders with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on the issue is likely to be held in a day or two.

Azad said that meetings in this regard will continue but didn't specify the party's stand.

"We are meeting and more meetings will take place in the next few days," he said.

The Lok Sabha had cleared the GST Bill in May 2015.