New Delhi (India) August 6: Kiren Rijiju, the union minister, has mentioned that there was a good discussion between him and the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi. He also added that the government had put forward a request concerning one specific matter; along with that, additional subjects were also under discussion.

"I had a good discussion with Rahul Gandhi ji. We made a request regarding an issue and also discussed other matters.We desire continuous communication and coordinated action with the Congress and other opposition parties. We may be political opponents, but we are not enemies; therefore, we should work together in the national interest," Rijiju said.

He added, "However, they (opposition) create an impression outside is that they won't let Parliament function at all, but who ultimately suffers from that?" 

Rijiju Seeks Opposition’s Cooperation In Parliament

These statements came after it was reported that on the previous day, Rijiju had met Rahul Gandhi. The purpose behind the meeting was to get cooperation from Rahul Gandhi for the orderly conduct of Parliament for the rest of the Monsoon Session. 

Simultaneously, discussion on the potential re-introduction of the Delimitation and Women's Reservation Bills took place, though Rahul Gandhi is said to have given no assurance in that regard.

Rahul Gandhi Calls For All-Party Meeting

Rahul Gandhi had expressed to the union minister, Kiren Rijiju, that the proposed delimitation bill was unacceptable to the opposition members. Instead of the bill, Rahul Gandhi requested a statement to be made from Home Minister, Amit Shah regarding the lashing down on NEET protest. 

According to the sources, he also questioned why the government was holding separate meetings with different political parties instead of an all-party meeting. He further requested the government to convene an all-party meeting if they genuinely wanted the opinion of all the parties. 

Government Seeks Consensus Before Introducing Bills

According to government sources, the legislation was not facing any kind of blockage, and they were sure to acquire sufficient votes from Parliament. The reason for seeking the views of the opposition was to get them on board before introducing the bill. 

The recent outreach comes during the continued chaos in the Monsoon session, wherein the opposition had already demanded statements from both the Prime Minister and the Home Minister on different incidents including lashing down on police during CJP protest, and embezzlement of Ram Mandir funds.