Apart from around 100 MPs of the Congress, leaders of several opposition parties including Trinamool Congress, Nationalist Congress Party, Shiv Sena, Communist Party of India-Marxist, Communist Party of India, Rashtriya Janata Dal and Samajwadi Party attended the meeting.
The bill was passed by a voice vote after Shah sought to allay concerns raised by the Opposition, which claimed the draft law was "draconian".
Sulking Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh on Thursday made a veiled attack on Mulayam Singh Yadav claiming that the party supremo was present when he (Amar) was targeted by Ram Gopal Yadav.
Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav's efforts to broker peace between sulking Amar Singh and Ram Gopal Yadav received a setback on Tuesday with Singh conveying his inability to attend the party's cultural festival at Saifai by posting an open letter on his personal blog.
Asked about other SP leaders' "unhappiness" with Amar Singh, Shivpal said, "Taking everyone along makes an organisation stronger. There are all kinds of people in a party. One has to apply his mind also."
The demand was made by the Nationalist Congress Party, the Trinamool Congress and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav are and 10 political leaders who were on Thursday elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
The party has left Mainpuri, described as its "safest" seat, for Mulayam Yadav, who is the MP from Azamgarh right now.
Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu also made a fervent appeal to the leaders of various parties at an all-party meeting to ensure smooth and effective functioning of the House during the Budget Session.
Opposition parties on Tuesday asked the government to call an all-party meeting to resolve the current impasse in Parliament, while sticking to their demands for a discussion on Pegasus snooping issue and a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the matter.
'If Muslims who are 20 percent of UP's population feel the SP has no future they will go with the BSP. Even if 10 percent Muslim vote goes to the BSP every equation will change.'
The Opposition on Wednesday hardened its stand on the Pegasus spyware issue with 14 parties unitedly demanding a debate in Parliament in the presence of the prime minister or the home minister and a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the matter.
At the meeting attended by 33 parties, the prime minister said suggestions from public representatives, especially from the Opposition, are valuable as they make the discussion rich.
In what may be seen as a message to the electorate that he has a say in the party, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Monday inducted three Cabinet and two Ministers of State (Independent Charge) ahead of next year's assembly elections in the state.
Dinesh Pratap Singh, who was elected to the state legislative council for the second time in 2016 and left the Congress last year, is pitted against UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on a seat held by her since 2004.
Quality of food served in Parliament canteen on Wednesday came under attack in Rajya Sabha as a member drew attention of the government towards MPs falling sick after consuming it.
What did Amar Singh and Mulayam Singh Yadav discuss at breakfast?
"Will wait and watch for results, as of now not thinking of alliance with anyone," BSP sources told ANI.
With the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh saying there should be no reservation in jobs and education for the affluent, the government on Monday said there is no rethink on the present social and caste based reservation policy and it will continue.
'We demand immediate release of all public representatives of mainstream political parties and innocent citizens,' the resolution said.
The ruling alliance also has some smaller parties like Republican Party of India-Athawale, Asom Gana Parishad, Mizo National Front, National People's Party, Naga People's Front, Pattali Makkal Katchi and Bodoland People's Front, which have one seat each, totalling seven seats.
The Samajwadi Party said those facing corruption charges have been inducted into the Union Council of Ministers.
Those whose cover has been reduced include Samajwadi Party chief and former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, leaders Shivpal Yadav and Azam Khan, Dimple Yadav and Ram Gopal Yadav, and Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati.
'The government is running a 'beti darao', not a 'beti bachao' drive'
Strongly opposed to quota for government job promotions, Samajwadi Party on Monday asked the government to rethink on the bill, warning that it could have a very serious fall-out and may be challenged in court.
Amid renewed efforts to get the Samajwadi Party on board on the issue of quota in promotion bill, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday talked to party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav.
Samajwadi Party on Friday declared its first list of candidates for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections with its president Mulayam Singh Yadav seeking another term from his Mainpuri seat.
In positive signals for the United Progressive Alliance, the Samajwadi Party today said it will not support any National Democratic Alliance Presidential candidate and did not want mid-term elections.
Sources in the Samajwadi Party said that Mulayam Singh Yadav, his cousin and party general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav and another senior leader Naresh Aggarwal have held at least five rounds of discussion with Congress leaders
Mulayam accused Akhilesh of having a negative approach towards Muslims.
Samajwadi Party spokesman Mohan Singh had issued a statement contradicting Akhilesh Yadav's stand on the proposed induction of mafia don turned politician D P Yadav into the party. Sharat Pradhan reports.
SP on Thursday announced its decision to contest the Bihar assembly polls with SJDD, NCP and NPP, saying the combine will present a third alternative to the voters.
Angrily reacting to Congress spokesperson Rashid Alvi describing Mulayam Singh Yadav as a "BJP agent", senior Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav on Thursday said he is not worth giving any importance.
Reacting to the beheading of an Indian soldier by Pakistani troops along the Line of Control, the Samajwadi Party on Tuesday said that a war with the country would give it a "befitting" reply for its brutality.
Dimple Yadav, wife of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, will contest the Kannauj Lok Sabha by-election as a Samajwadi Party candidate. "As per the wish of the party workers, the central parliamentary board of the party has decided that Dimple Yadav will contest the by-election for Kannauj seat," SP national general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav told reporters. Akhilesh Yadav had contested from the Firozabad and Kannauj seat in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls.
The Samajwadi Party on Monday said it will continue to stall Rajya Sabha proceedings in case the bill providing for reservation to Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes in promotion in government job is passed. "We will disrupt the House and not allow it to function if the bill (for reservation to SC/ST in job promotions) is passed. We will continue to oppose the bill and we are ready for suspension," said SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav.
Opposing Foreign Direct Investment in multi-brand retail, the Samajwadi Party on Tuesday said that the move is not in the interest of the country.
Maintaining that it was opposed to FDI in retail, the Samajwadi Party on Thursday made it clear it was not keen to 'piggyback' on the Bharatiya Janata Party over its demand for discussion on the issue under a rule that entails voting.
The Samajwadi Party on Saturday distanced itself from Shahid Siddiqui, saying he is no longer a part of the party two days after his interview with Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi made waves.
A remark made by a Samajwadi Party leader on the use of the Hindi word 'hamara' by Mamata Banerjee on Friday triggered speculation whether Mulayam Singh Yadav's party was still with Trinamool Congress in putting up A P J Abdul Kalam as a Presidential candidate.
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