After the failure of Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu to evolve a consensus over the GST legislation the Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has choosen to virtually appoint Muzaffar Hussain Beig as super finance minister of her government and virtually the move is a big blow to the incumbent Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu. All know that PDP and BJP the two coalition partners running the affairs of the state government for last more than two and a half years are not on the same page on GST legislation but yet again the constitution of a broader committee represented by people from almost all the mainstream political parties is an attempt of the Chief Minister to show mistrust in the competence of the incumbent Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu and instead repose confidence in the leadership of Muzaffar Hussain Baig the two time former finance minister . After all Baig has been given the crucial task of bringing the BJP and the opposition nearer to a broader consensus over the GST legislation. The appointment of all party committee under the chairmanship of Muzaffar Hussain Beig clearly indicates that cabinet is now virtually divested of the powers to take a final call on the GST legislation and all now depends on the consensus among the parties which are part of the all party committee. Though Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu is a member of the all party committee but the power to bring the government and the opposition on the same page over the GST legislation lies now with Muzaffar Hussain Beig but not the Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu. Till yesterday when special session of the assembly on GST legislation had to be adjourned under mounting pressure from different political parties and the trading bodies, the onus of responsibility lied on the incumbent Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu but credit for any consensus on GST legislation will go to Member Parliament Muzaffar Hussain Beig as Chairman of the all party committee but not the Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu.
A consensus over the implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST) can’t be reached overnight between the parties representing all party committee and entrusting such a crucial responsibility to Muzaffar Hussain Beig speaks volumes about the apprehensions the Chief Minister has about the handling of GST legislation by Finance Minister Hasseb Drabu. By all standards of understandabilities entrusting responsibility to Member Parliament Baig is a big jolt to Finance Minister Drabu.
The task given to Muzaffar Hussain Beig is a very herculean task as the head of the National Conference part of the all party committee Ab Rahim Rather would try his best to add too many complexities to the GST legislation as he has already tried to prick holes in the GST legislation proposed by Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu. The committee headed by Muzaffar Hussain Beig has to first look into the loopholes identified National Conference veteran a two time former finance ministers and the subsequent responses of the BJP represented in the committee by Sunil Sethi. So a consensus over the implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST) can’t be reached overnight between the parties representing all party committee and entrusting such a crucial responsibility to Muzaffar Hussain Beig speaks volumes about the apprehensions the Chief Minister has about the handling of GST legislation by Finance Minister Hasseb Drabu. By all standards of understandabilities entrusting responsibility to Member Parliament Baig is a big jolt to Finance Minister Drabu.
