Bracing for the stormy Parliament Session, which is set to begin on Thursday, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday convened a meeting of leaders from all political parties.
The meeting is expected to discuss the smooth functioning of Parliament. It was attended by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, Left's Sitaram Yechury, LJP leader Chirag Paswan, Left leader D Raja, JDU's KC Tyagi and INLD leader Dushyant Chautala, among others.
During the meeting, the government, in a bid to reach out to the Opposition, reportedly asserted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had condemned all incidents such as Dadri and killing of rationalist leaders.
Following the meeting, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav said that his party would take a decision on the GST bill "according to the situation" when the government brings it in Parliament.
Meanwhile, opposition parties JDU and CPM said that they want Parliament to pass resolution condemning incidents of intolerance.
Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan has also called an all-party meeting later on Wednesday evening. Apart from these, two other meetings, to be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is also slated to be held on later in the day.
While the BJP-led NDA government is slated to face stiff opposition in Parliament as it tries to push through important economic reforms, the Congress-led opposition parties are expected to make attempts to corner the government over issues such as intolerance.
Ahead of the meeting, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu said that the priority of the government was ease of doing business and economic reforms, adding that they were also ready to discuss the issue of intolerance.
"We are also looking for some legal reforms whether it is GST or real estate bill. We are ready to debate any issue, including intolerance, in the upcoming Winter Session of Parliament. But we will look to take forward the main objective of the GST bill," said Naidu.
Union Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said that while the government was ready to discuss the issue of intolerance, the Opposition should also be ready to pass the GST Bill.
However, the Congress continued to maintain a tough stance against the government, calling the BJP intolerant.
Veteran Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said, "The BJP is intolerant. If they weren't, then Parliament session would not have been a washout...we have given notice for discussion on intolerance in both houses, it is pending before the Speaker."
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