GST, land bills priorities for next House session: Arun Jaitley

“The path of this government is decided. …Passage of GST and land bills, restart of stalled projects, bankruptcy code, etc. will be the focus of the government in the coming year (of the government),” he said.

The Finance Minister, who highlighted a “corruption-free atmosphere” as one of the biggest achievements of the Narendra Modi-led government, minced no words in projecting the Opposition Congress as a party that blocks development and growth.

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Jaitley, who addressed the media on the eve of the NDA government’s first anniversary, pointed out that India has the “potential to touch double digit growth rate, provided decision-making is quick. “The principal opposition  is against growth and development,” Jaitley said.

He also alleged that it was “crony capitalism” that led to the fall of the UPA. “We are reforming and liberalising, but there is no place for crony capitalism,” he said.

Jaitley also took a swipe at  Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi who had spearheaded a campaign against Prime Minister Modi and his government as “anti-poor” using phrases like ‘suit-boot ki sarkar’.

Gandhi has also criticised the PM for his foreign tours saying that he had not found time to visit the struggling farmers.  “Rahul Gandhi should know that a 55-day vacation is a foreign trip. (PM’s ) State visit is different,” Jaitley said, referring to the Congress leader’s sabbatical leave during the budget session.