The over half-an-hour meeting between the opposition parties and the government, however, remained inconclusive.
The standoff between the government and the opposition in Parliament has showed no signs of easing after it erupted on the opening day of the Monsoon session on July 19.
Addressing a press conference, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said efforts are being made since the last few days that a 'formula' or middle path is found with both the Opposition and the government relenting.
Despite disruptions over central rule in Uttarakhand and fresh revelations on the AugustaWestland chopper deal, the Rajya Sabha passed four bills and Lok Sabha cleared three.
National Democratic Alliance Convenor Sharad Yadav, SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, BSP member Dara Singh Chauhan and RJD leader Lalu Prasad claimed that the inclusion of caste in census at the biometric stage amounted to befooling the people.
If the concerns over risking political capital are overcome, the long-term gains for the Indian economy will be immense, asserts A K Bhattacharya.
The impasse over the demand for a joint parliamentary committee probe into 2G spectrum allocation disrupted the Question Hour in Parliament for the 22nd day on Monday as both government and the opposition stuck to their positions.
As yet another day of Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned due to vociferous protests, Joshi, the Union parliamentary affairs minister, urged the protesting members to allow the House to function while speaking during the Question Hour.
Deadlock over the government's decision to allow FDI in retail paralysed Parliament for the fourth day on Wednesday, with a united opposition joined by United Progressive Alliance partners Trinamool Congress and Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam disrupting proceedings, demanding a rollback of the controversial decision. With formal and back-channel talks between government leaders and their opposition counterparts failing to make any breakthrough, both Houses were adjourned.
There is an atmosphere of festivity and enthusiasm, and the country has been filled with renewed self-confidence, he said, asking parliamentarians to give maximum time to the short session.
In a stinging attack on the Comptroller and Auditor General, the Congress on Monday alleged the government auditor was as much responsible as the Bharatiya Janata Party for the disruption of the just-concluded monsoon session of Parliament on the coal mine allocation issue.
In the chair was Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, a Bharatiya Janata Party leader of the old school with friends across parties unlike the duo who currently run the BJP.
Scotland Yard has arrested a man on suspicion of 'violent disorder' in connection with an attack on the Indian High Commission in London in March this year.
The government on Tuesday scotched speculation that the monsoon Session of Parliament will be curtailed and both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha will adjourn sine die.
The session started on January 29 and was originally slated to end on April 8 but several members had urged Speaker Om Birla to end the session earlier as they focus on electioneering for the five assemblies.
The Indian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Vikram Doraiswami, who was touring Scotland this week was blocked from entering a gurdwara in the capital Glasgow by pro-Khalistan extremists.
The first week of the resumed Budget session of Parliament is likely to remain disrupted with Congress determined to vociferously raise the dismissal of the Uttarakhand government
Amidst repeated disruptions in Rajya Sabha by Congress members over Union Minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti's remarks, Bharatiya Janata Party MPs of the Upper House on Friday gathered before Mahatma Gandhi's statue in Parliament House complex praying for "wisdom" to the protesting members.
Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance on Monday accused the government of allowing foreign direct investment in retail with an aim of distracting and disrupting Parliament that was set to discuss crucial issues of price rise and black money.
Lok Sabha could function for only 45 hours this Budget Session against its scheduled 133.6 hours because of daily disruptions and frequent adjournments, a think tank data has shown.
He also said that India hosting the G20 summit, which will be held next year, is not merely a diplomatic event but also a chance to showcase the country's capabilities before the world.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Wednesday said a "new tradition" of levelling allegations and counter-allegations being observed in Parliament and state Assemblies these days is not proper for the country's constitutional democracy, and stressed the need for constructive debate and discussion in Houses to make democracy "lively and active".
'The Congress in the past backed the demand, but will not support it now since the SP opposes any division of UP.'
The Budget session of Parliament, the first of the Narendra Modi government, ended on Thursday reflecting the changed political reality with fewer disruptions and adjournments, and more debates and discussions unlike in the recent past.
The veteran parliamentarian gave vent to his pain and anguish soon after Speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourned the House for the day amid trading of charges between the government and the Opposition on smooth functioning of proceedings.
In a sharp attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party for stalling Parliament and targeting Home Minister P Chidambaram on the 2G issue, the Congress on Tuesday accused it of "irresponsible behaviour" in disrupting proceedings every session with one "triviality or the other" for "cheap gains".
Parliament was disrupted for the eleventh day on Wednesday following uproar over coal block allocation as the Bharatiya Janata Party stuck to its demand for resignation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The prime minister said he was expecting members of the House to show enthusiasm by thumping their desks as a large number of those from the Dalits, Scheduled Tribes and OBC communities as well as sons of farmers and those from economically backward and rural backgrounds have become ministers in the recent rejig.
There were 85 sittings in 2005 and 77 sittings in 2006, and this year, till the completion of 11th session there were 49 sittings held so far. "We may be the largest democracy in the world but the total number of working days of Parliament session has been gradually coming down over the years," said Bharatiya Janata Party member of Parliament Vijay Kumar.
'There might be some internal tussles that can be expected between any two persons in any party.' 'But I do not see any tussle which might weaken the possibility of dictatorship.'
As the extended Winter Session of Parliament entered its third and last week on Monday, the Telangana issue continued to disrupt Rajya Sabha leading to its adjournment for the day.
The session started on December 15 ended on January 5.
In Lok Sabha, Deputy Leader V K Malhotra demanded the suspension of Question Hour as soon as the House met for the day.
The Lok Sabha had taken up discussion on the Motion of Thanks, moved by Bharatiya Janata Party member Chandra Prakash Joshi, on Tuesday, after three days of disruptions in Parliament.
Led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, the Opposition members in the Lok Sabha demanded sacking of Union minister Ajay Mishra from the government in connection with the Lakhimpur Kheri violence.
The Communist Party of India on Saturday asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to "face Parliament" and said the government must own up responsibility for the huge loss to the nation on the coal block allocation issue.
The Congress' chief whip Jairam Ramesh, said, 'Today, too, the INDIA parties demanded the prime minister's presence in the Rajya Sabha to make a statement on Manipur, to be followed by a discussion.'
The much-anticipated cryptocurrency bill, however, is missing from the list, reports Shrimi Choudhary.
Keeping up the heat on the government, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the coal-gate issue as other parties raised various matters leading to adjournment of Parliament till noon.
Modi is scheduled to reply to the debate on Thursday.
