india

Updated: Jun 14, 2019 00:44 IST

The Centre has convened an all-party meeting on June 16, a day before the 17th Lok Sabha meets for the first time.

The meeting, which will be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is an attempt by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to reach out to opposition parties for support in the passage of crucial bills, including the triple talaq bill.

While the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance has 353 members in the 545-seat Lok Sabha, it only has 102 members in the 245-seat Rajya Sabha. It will need the support of other parties in the Upper House for the passage of bills, including the The Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers Cadre) Bill, 2019, and Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2019.

The government has been reaching out to opposition parties, including the Congress and the Trinamool Congress. On June 7, Union agriculture and rural development minister Narendra Singh Tomar, parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi and his minister of state Arjun Ram Meghwal met UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi at her residence. The newly-constituted BJP parliamentary party executive committee, led by PM, will also meet on June 16.