New Delhi: In a few hours from now, if all goes to plan, then the Lok Sabha will give its nod to the last batch of legislations on the Goods and Services Tax (GST). It will be a historic moment, with the stage now set for the rollout of the most seminal piece of tax reform that will, for the first time, economically unify the country.

Indeed it will also be a personal milestone for finance minister Arun Jaitley. Yes, there are many claimants to this piece of tax reform, but bulk of the credit will accrue to Jaitley, who patiently, ignoring taunts, sometimes acrimonious, to fashion a consensus.

No minutes of the GST Council will record this contribution in working the phone lines and his personal contacts across both aisles to manage the consensus.

Especially, given that at moments the entire process was at risk of being derailed or losing momentum amid acrimonious exchanges—largely originating among the representatives of Kerala and West Bengal. Indeed it is a defining moment for Jaitley in his public life spanning four decades.

It is a piece of tax reform which was initiated in the middle of the last decade. Yet, somehow, it was precisely this last mile which eluded closure.

It found mention for the first time when the then finance minister, P. Chidambaram, proposed the idea in his 2006-07 budget speech.

Thereafter, every finance minister who followed, dutifully paid lip service to GST.

Even a nudge from the 13th Finance Commission—headed by former finance secretary Vijay Kelkar—which included it as a recommendation, failed to galvanize the politicians—especially the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) decided to play spoilsport as the main opposition.

Ironically, the BJP found itself in charge after it pulled off a stunning victory in the 16th general election in 2014.

Almost immediately, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) made GST a key part of its reforms agenda. But then, the Congress party felt it was payback time—given that the NDA was in a minority in the Rajya Sabha.

Over a year was wasted in the back and forth on the Constitutional amendment bill to roll out the GST; and everyone was beginning to give up on it.

But Jaitley never gave up.

Backed by the Prime Minister, the FM relentlessly worked to wear down the critics; the turning point was when Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar openly backed the idea of GST—thereafter, more political parties started recalibrating their stand and, soon, the Congress was risking isolation; it soon fell in line and the rest is history.

It is not surprising that Jaitley has emerged as the consensus man; in many ways he is the BJP’s front office in Delhi. One of the most approachable cabinet ministers—who also has his share of bitter critics—he is the link between the BJP leadership spanning decades and involving L.K. Advani and Atal Bihari Vajpayee and now Narendra Modi and Amit Shah.

While eventually credit will accrue to everyone, history books will record the transition to GST as Jaitley’s legacy.

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