A week ahead of the Budget Session of Parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is trying to reach out to the Opposition by convening a meeting of leaders of major political parties on Tuesday. The meeting is aimed at seeking cooperation for the smooth functioning of the Budget Session in the backdrop of virtual washout of proceedings in the last two sessions due to a host of issues.
Significantly, this is the first such meeting convened by the Prime Minister, who has come under attack from a section of the Opposition, especially the Congress which has accused him of being hell-bent on confrontation and failing to take other parties into confidence.
The Government managers have time and again maintained that the key reform GST Bill was top of the agenda of the Government in the three-month-long Session which starts on February 23. Senior Cabinet Ministers maintained that it is not an all-party meeting and the Bills the Government seeks to introduce or pass in the Session will not be discussed.
“He will seek their cooperation to run the Houses smoothly,” said a senior Minister. The meeting comes at a time when Government wants to push key reform Bills like GST and labour laws in the session.