The Bharatiya Janata Party-led government has listed around 15 bills to be passed in the Monsoon Session of Parliament, which begins today, with the Goods and Service Tax Bill remaining high on their list of priorities. At an all party meeting convened on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached out to Opposition parties and sought their cooperation in passing the GST Bill and others during the fresh Parliament session. “GST is of national importance. Issue is not which government gets credit. Important Bills, including GST will be taken up in the monsoon session and I hope for meaningful discussions and outcomes,” Modi said.

The Congress said it will support Bills based on their merit and can take a decisive stand on GST only after a written draft was given. However, the Opposition is likely to bring up a host of other issues including the recent violence in Kashmir, and the Supreme Court ruling on the Arunachal Pradesh government.

Some of the other Bills awaiting clearance include the Whistle Blowers Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2015, Consumer Protection Bill, 2015, and the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amendment Bill, 2015. The last few sessions of Parliament have seen several disruptions.