Naidu calls all-party meeting for smooth conduct of Rajya Sabha's winter session

Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu has called an all-party meeting on December 10, a day before the commencement of Parliament's winter session, with an aim to build a consensus for a smooth conduct of the proceedings in the Upper House.

On several occasions, Naidu has expressed concern over the deadlock between the ruling and the opposition sides that has halted the smooth functioning of the House.

The government will push for the passage of the "triple talaq" bill pending in the Rajya Sabha in the upcoming session. It had earlier promulgated an ordinance to make the practice of instant triple talaq a penal offence.

The Rajya Sabha chairman has called a meeting of the floor leaders of all the parties in the Upper House at his residence on December 10, a source said, adding that this was aimed at developing a consensus for a smooth functioning of the House.

Among others, the meeting is expected to be attended by Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad and the Leader of the House, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

This will be the last full-fledged Parliament session before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government will be keen to make it productive.

For the Opposition, it will be the last chance to take on the government in the House.

The results of the Assembly elections in five states, in which both the ruling BJP and the Congress have high stakes, are bound to cast a shadow on the parliamentary proceedings.

The results of the Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram Assembly polls will be announced on December 11.

(With inputs from agencies.)