Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Vijay Goel today met former prime minister and senior Congress leader Manmohan Singh...

Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Vijay Goel today met former prime minister and senior Congress leader Manmohan Singh to seek his party's support to make the Monsoon Session constructive. The session is set to begin on July 18 and end on August 10. The triple talaq bill is among the legislative items topping the central government's agenda during the session. When contacted, Goel said it is very important to have the Opposition's support during the session, which will have 18 sittings with 68 bills pending in Lok Sabha and 40 in Rajya Sabha.

Former prime minister and senior Congress leader Manmohan Singh

Out of the 68 bills in Lok Sabha, 12 are very important and of 40 in Rajya Sabha, nine are very important, Goel said. The minister said he has requested Singh for Congress support to run Parliament smoothly during the Monsoon Session. Goel said Singh welcomed the government initiative for reaching out to opposition parties and said it was the responsibility of both the ruling and the opposition parties that Parliament function efficiently.

Goel said the Budget Session was a complete washout as the productivity in Lok Sabha was 4 percent and 8 percent in Rajya Sabha. He said this was "not a time for raising allegations" on each other but to think about maximizing the session's output. Goel said he will meet leaders of other opposition parties to seek their support. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar has said the triple talaq bill, passed by Lok Sabha and pending in Rajya Sabha, would be among the priorities of the government.

Goel seeks Cong support for Monsoon Session

He had said the government would push for constitutional status for the National Commission for OBCs. The National Commission for Medical Education Bill and the transgender person's bill would also be taken up. More than six ordinances would be taken up, he said.