Inability to pass GST, Land Bill will slow things: Bhartia

The Budget session was largely productive in terms of the number of Bills introduced and passed and the number of hours worked, Shobhana Bhartia, chairperson and editorial director, Hindustan Times Media told CNBC-TV18.

The Upper House or the Rajya Sabha approved 24 amendments relating to 16 issues. It also passed the Companies Act Amendment Bill. The Lok Sabha, where the ruling NDA has brute majority, passed the GST Constitutional Amendment Bill and the Land Acquisition Bill. However, both these Bills have been sent to panels or committees in the Rajya Sabha, where the BJP doesn't have the requisite numbers to pass key legislative Bills.

The Lok Sabha also passed the Black Money Bill, which the BJP termed as a Money Bill and hence it was not required to send to the Rajya Sabha.

Keeping all this in mind, the Budget session can be labeled as more productive when compared to the last 3-4 sessions of the UPA regime.

However, the inability of the government to get through GST and Land Acquisition Bills slowed down things, says Bhartia. She expects the GST Bill to be passed in the upcoming session of the Parliament. But the Land Bill may not see light of the day in its current form, she adds. According to her, the government could have handled the issue of Land Bill better.

On year on, according to her, the Narendra Modi government was unable to live up to the hype, or the expectations when it came to power.