Ahead of Budget Session, PM Modi holds first all-party meeting
What's the story
Ahead of the first session of the newly-elected Lok Sabha, PM Narendra Modi held the first all-party meeting at the Parliament after reclaiming power at the Center. The all-party meeting, a customary exercise before the first parliamentary session of the year, was held ahead of Budget Session on Monday. The meeting was essential for the Modi-led government to seek the cooperation of all parties.
Meeting
Meeting attended by Union Ministers, Congress leaders among others
The all-party meeting chaired by PM Modi was attended by Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Prahlad Joshi, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, and Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad. Congress's Adhir Ranjan Choudhary, Trinamool Congress leaders Sudeep Bandopadhyay and Derek O' Brien, and National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah were also among the attendees.
Twitter Post
Here's what PM Modi tweeted after holding all-party meeting
We had a fruitful all-party meeting today, the first one after the election results and before the start of the Monsoon Session. Thankful to the leaders for their valuable suggestions. We all agreed on the smooth running of Parliament so that we can fulfil people’s aspirations. pic.twitter.com/WhERafppKr
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 16, 2019
Opposition parties
Government seeks support and cooperation of Opposition parties
At the meeting, the government reportedly sought the support and cooperation of Opposition parties to ensure smooth functioning of the Parliament. While NDA has a simple majority in Lok Sabha with 353 out of 545 seats, it has only 102 seats in the 245-member Rajya Sabha. Support of Opposition parties is necessary for the government for the passing of key bills in Rajya Sabha.
Information
PM Modi to meet Presidents of all parties and MPs
Following the two-hour all-party meeting, Minister Joshi said that PM Modi will be holding a meeting with the Presidents of all political parties on June 19 to discuss "One Nation, One Election". He also said the Prime Minister will meet all MPs on June 20.
Strategy session
Customary opposition strategy session yet to be held
Meanwhile, the Opposition parties are yet to recover from the shock defeat in the recent Lok Sabha Elections. The performance Congress, especially, has been poor; it won only 52 seats - an increase from 42 seats in 2014 - which means the party once again cannot become the Leader of the Opposition. Meanwhile, a customary opposition strategy session is also yet to be held.