Jaitley fails on GST passage, out of finance in Cabinet reshuffle?
The Union Finance Ministry is a tricky one. Many great leader has failed to hold it for long. Arun Jaitley, considered Prime Minister Narendra Modi's favourite, is no exception. Jaitley has miserably failed in getting that one bill, the Goods and Services Tax Bill, passed by Parliament, despite the BJP having a massive majority in the Lok Sabha. Like every bill that has to pass through both the Houses of Parliament, the GST Bill has been stuck up in the Rajya Sabha where the opposition veterans are sitting over it, preventing its passage. The BJP lacks majority in the Upper House and the Opposition is dictating its terms. On the other hand, the Modi Government has put everything behind the GST Bill to benefit the States in the Federal structure so as to please them for future advantage. So, inevitably, the axe has to fall on someone, and the concerned minister is the obvious fall guy. Jaitley is a great debater, though. He has made certain incisive speeches, including the one on Indira Gandhi rule. Indira's rule, after the singular success of splitting Pakistan in the aftermath of the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971, had been tainted by dictatorial rule. Jaitley, quoting the Nazi doctrine, had clearly brought out a parallel that makes Indira rule going by letter and spirit of the Nazi rule in the pre-War Germany. It was an opportunity for the other Opposition veterans also to make great speeches, though they may have missed the point Jaitley was trying to make. Whatever be the debating skills, the finance ministry in a developing country such as India is a tough proposition, what with so many interests being at loggerheads. Besides, Jaitley has been taken in by his love for cricket. As president of the Delhi and District Cricket Association, his tenure has been replete with corruption. Jaitley or his supporters could not argue that while he is a symbol of virtue, all others are corrupt. The filing of defamation case by Jaitley against AAP leaders, including Delhi chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, would be fully exploited, politically, by the Opposition, which is another source of trouble for the Modi government. However much he may not like to do it, Modi has to look for alternatives to get the GST Bill passed somehow. Meeting Congress president Sonia Gandhi and engaging the Opposition before the start of every session of Parliament have failed to break the ice. The obvious course for Modi is to shift Jaitley from finance to defence, which he was holding till Manohar Parrikar was brought into the Union Cabinet. The move would not be seen to be hurting Jaitley or giving in to the Opposition, although it is clearly the latter. Energy Minister Piyush Goyal's name is doing the rounds for finance. But he lacks a long political innings to hold the important portfolio. In any case, Modi will have to set right the perception that his governance is one of development, spearheaded by the GST Bill. This he will have to do to make gains in the 2019 elections. UP, the largest State in the country with 80 seats, had returned BJP candidates in the 2014 elections. The BJP will have to cash in on the grand success in the assembly poll. Already Amit Shah has been given a three-year extension as BJP president because he holds some kind of a magic wand in electoral politics. However, Jaitley is surely out of finance in the coming Cabinet reshuffle. If the passage of the GST Bill is uppermost, Sushma Swaraj might be the best bet, for she had helped the Congress many a time.
