With the Opposition refusing to relent on its protests inside Parliament, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan has convened an all-party meeting on Thursday to discuss better functioning of the House. Both Houses of Parliament had adjourned on Wednesday following the death of former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam in Shillong earlier this week. The monsoon session of Parliament has seen continuous protests by the Opposition, specially the Congress party, which has been demanding the resignation of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj over the Lalit Modi UK visa controversy. Moreover, the protests took an ugly turn when Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury slammed a placard on the Speaker's table forcing her to reprimand him and suspend the MP for a day. Since its commencement on July 21, the session has been a complete washout. While the NDA government has refused to relent, key legislation including the Land Bill and the GST Bill, are pending, and the government is keen on pushing legislation given the upcoming assembly elections in Bihar.
