Venkaiah meets Congress top brass as BJP seeks support over GST bill

New Delhi: With the Parliament session about to start on July 18, the government seems to be making an extra effort in its outreach to the Congress, over the much debated Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill.   BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday spoke to senior Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma over the issue. GST has been a key agenda on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s list, who recently said no political party should ‘commit suicide’ by resisting the enactment of GST any further. The GST bill has already been passed by the Lok Sabha and is pending ratification by the Upper House, where the ruling NDA does not have a majority. After it is approved by the Rajya Sabha, the legislation needs to be ratified by half of the 29 states so that the new tax regime can come into effect possibly by October. According to agency sources, both Congress leaders assured Naidu that they will get back to him soon after consultations within their party.