Will Mamata Banerjee's support be enough for BJP to pass GST bill?
Banerjee said, “We have ideological differences with BJP but we will always support on issues that are beneficial to the people. We will support GST.”
Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee said that she will support the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on the goods and service tax (GST). Speaking at a press conference held after party's likely win the Assembly Elections in West Bengal said, “We have ideological differences with BJP but we will always support on issues that are beneficial to the people. We will support GST.”
Congress, however, isn't on board. Reuters reported that Congress party on Thursday refused to relax the conditions it has laid down for backing the passage of a goods & services tax bill in parliament, further clouding the outlook for the landmark reform.
The proposed reform, India`s biggest revenue shake-up since independence in 1947, seeks to replace a slew of central and state levies, transforming the nation of 1.2 billion people into a customs union.
TRENDING NOW
As the results of the Assembly Elections emerge in West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, the likely winners include Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress, BJP, J Jayalalithaa's All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), Left Democratic Front (LDF) and Congress in Puducherry.
In West Bengal the results went in favour of the Trinamool Congress as the ruling party steadily marched towards a brute majority, leading in as many as 212 of the total 294 seats.
In Tamil Nadu, fighting heavy odds J Jayalalithaa proved her detractors wrong again as she steered AIADMK to power for a second consecutive term, bucking the tradition since 1989 when no party has retained power in Tamil Nadu.
Jayalalithaa leads with 37 of the 39 Lok Sabha seats in the state in 2014, continuing to hold sway in the Assembly election.
In Assam the BJP leads the race with 55 of the 126 seats.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the Assam victory an "exceptional win" on Twitter and congratulated his party leaders.
PM Modi also congratulated Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee and AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa for retaining power in their respective states of West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. “Spoken to Mamata and congratulated her on the impressive victory. My best wishes to her as she begins her 2nd term. Had a telephone conversation with Jayalalithaa and congratulated her on her victory. Also conveyed my best wishes to her.”
In Kerala the Left Democratic Front (LDF) is likely to emerge victorious after leading by 90 seats. It is followed by the Congress led-United Democratic Front (UDF) with 47 seats and BJP with only 1 seat.
Watch report on assembly elections here:
(With inputs from PTI, ANI, IANS, Reuters)
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