Union minister for Finance Arun Jaitley spent an hour explaining to President Pranab Mukherjee about the Constitutional amendment 122 on the Goods and Services Tax and its passage in Parliament. The President, who has handled the finance ministry portfolio in the UPA government, congratulated Jaitley, and said he wanted the government to speed up the process especially since 16 state assemblies have to pass it. More than the BJP, the President seems to be thrilled over the aspect of signing the bill. Parliament will take up the GST bill during the Winter session. President Mukherjee's term ends in July 2017.