I have received much more from the country than what I have given, says President

The President of India, Shri Mukherjee received books and reports related to Rashtrapati Bhavan today (July 24, 2017) at a function held at Rashtrapati Bhavan on the eve of demitting office as the 13th President of India.

Speaking on the occasion, the President said that he was overwhelmed by a deep sense of gratitude to the people of India for the trust and confidence they reposed in him. He was humbled by their kindness and affection. He stated that he had received much more from the country than he had given.

The President congratulated and extended a warm welcome to Shri Ram Nath Kovind, the President-Elect and wished him success and happiness in the years to come.

The President said that in Rashtrapati Bhavan, we tried to build a humane and happy township. He stated that in last five years he learnt from his travels across the length and breadth of the country. The President said that he learnt from his conversations with young and bright minds in colleges and universities, scientists, innovators, scholars, jurists, authors, artists and leaders from across the spectrum. These interactions kept him focused and inspired.

The books presented today to the President were (1) ‘The Innovation President’ by the Vice President of India, Mohd. Hamid Ansari and (2) ‘Selected Speeches of the President (Volume-IV) by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi. The reports presented were 'Conserving and Upgrading of the President’s Estate – Select Projects: The Mukherjee Years 2012-2017’ by Dr. Thomas Mathew, Additional Secretary to the President; ‘Health Status and Age Assessment of the Trees of Rashtrapati Bhavan’ by Dr. Savita, Director, Forest Research Institute, Dehradun and ‘Comprehensive Conservation Management Plan Phase –II’ by Dr. AGK Menon and Ms. Swapna Liddle from INTACH.

The book presentation function was followed by a cultural programme and dinner which was attended by the President-elect, Vice President, Prime Minister, Union Ministers and other dignitaries. Details of books and reports released: The book ‘The Innovation President’ provides a summary of efforts made by the President in reinforcing close coordination between public programmes and policies and inclusive innovation ecosystem. This book contains the speeches of the President dealing with innovations at different levels and sectors in the country. Lessons from other countries have also been incorporated as also the examples of innovations in innovation clubs in various universities. The glimpses of awards given to creative communities and grassroots innovators, technology students add to the content of the inclusive innovation system.

‘Selected Speeches of President’- (Volume-IV) is the final volume of the four part series containing important speeches delivered by President Pranab Mukherjee in the fourth and fifth years of his Presidency. The first three volumes had selected speeches from President Mukherjee’s first three years in Office. The speeches included in this volume are into five sections: (i) The Nation, Parliament, Constitutional Bodies and Armed Forces; (ii) Important Days and Events, eminent personalities and commemorative events; (iii) Banquet Speeches and Foreign Visits; (iv) Award Functions, and (v) Education and Conferences. All four volumes of speeches of the President have been brought out by Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

The report “Conserving and Upgrading of the President’s Estate – Select Projects: The Mukherjee Years: 2012-2017” chronicles select conservation, preservation and development projects undertaken in the last five years by the President’s Secretariat. This covers 27 conservation and development works undertaken in the 13th Presidency. It details the steps taken for the conservation and restoration of several buildings in the President’s Estate and at “Ashiana” (The Presidential Retreat located at Dehradun).

‘Health Status and Age Assessment of the Trees of Rashtrapati Bhavan’ was conducted by the Forest Research Institute, Dehradun between July 2016 to June 2017 to determine the age of important trees as per requirement; to record pathological and entomological problems on the trees of Rashtrapati Bhavan and to identify trees having physiological and related stress including edaphic causes.

‘Comprehensive Conservation Management Plan Phase –II’ was drafted by INTACH after carrying out detailed documentation and it provides reasoned recommendations for the efficient future management of the Rashtrapati Bhavan building. Proposals for the conservation of the Rashtrapati Bhavan was drawn up based on this detailed documentation and on its heritage value and prevalent conditions, taking into account the specific characteristics and requirement of the building as the residence and office of the President of India. 

Smt Maneka Sanjay Gandhi launches Sexual Harassment electronic-Box (SHe-Box) for registering complaints related to sexual harassment at workplace

WCD ministry to conduct an all India survey to assess the magnitude of problem related to sexual harassment of women at workplace

The Minister of Women & Child Development, Smt Maneka Sanjay Gandhi launched an online complaint management system titled Sexual Harassment electronic–Box (SHe-Box) for registering complaints related to sexual harassment at workplace in New Delhi today. The complaint management system has been developed to ensure the effective implementation of Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act (the SH Act), 2013.

This portal is an initiative to provide a platform to women working or visiting any office of Central Government (Central Ministries, Departments, Public Sector Undertakings, Autonomous Bodies and Institutions etc.) to file complaints related to sexual harassment at workplace under the SH Act. Those who had already filed a written complaint with the concerned Internal Complaint Committee (ICC) constituted under the SH Act are also eligible to file their complaint through this portal. The SHe-Box portal can be accessed at the link given below:

http://www.wcd-sh.nic.in/

Speaking at the launch, Smt Maneka Sanjay Gandhi said that though currently this facility has been extended to employees of Central Government, the scope of the portal will soon be extended to women employees of private sector also.

The WCD Minister said that there are some surveys, which give the extent of sexual harassment of women at workplace. However, the WCD Ministry will carry out a national level survey to asses and understand the magnitude of the problem.

This portal (SHe-Box) is an effort to provide speedier remedy to women facing sexual harassment at workplace as envisaged under the SH Act. Once a complaint is submitted to the portal, it will be directly sent to the ICC of the concerned Ministry/Department/PSU/Autonomous Body etc. having jurisdiction to inquire into the complaint. Through this portal, WCD as well as complainant can monitor the progress of inquiry conducted by the ICC.

Government of India is the largest employer in the country employing 30.87 lakh people to carry out its various functions. As per the Census of Central Government employees, 2011, women constitute 10.93% (3.37 lakhs) of the total regular Central Government employees.

The WCD Ministry has taken several measures to ensure implementation of Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act. The Ministry has published a Handbook on the SH Act with the objective to provide information about the provisions of the Act in an easy to use practical manner. Further, the Ministry in collaboration with Institute of Statistical Training and Management (ISTM), New Delhi has prepared a training module to build the capacity of government officials above the provisions of the SH Act and develop in them professional competence to implement the same. Recently, on 5^th May, 2017, the Ministry in collaboration withISTM organised a day long workshop for chairpersons of Internal Complaint Committee constituted in various Ministries/Departments of Central Government.

Besides, in order to create wide spread awareness about the Act across the country both in organized and unorganized sector, MWCD has identified a pool of 29 resource institutions willing to provide capacity building programs i.e. training, workshops etc on the SH Act. The list of these institutions is available at the link given below:

Link:http://wcd.nic.in/act/recommended-panel-institutes-or-organizations-under-sexual-harassment-women-workplace

Link to Training Module for Two Day Workshop on Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013: http://wcd.nic.in/act/training-module-two-day-workshop-sexual-harassment-women-workplace-prevention-prohibition-and

The SHe-Box will provide a platform to these empanelled institutes/organisations to share their capacity building activities with the Ministry which in turn will be able to monitor the activities of these institutes/organizations so empanelled from across the country. As of now, as per the reports received, in the past 5 months, the empanelled institutes/organisations/companies have organised 35 capacity building exercises which were attended by approximately 1700 people.

Ensuring the dignity and safety of women must be first priority for any digital society. Towards realisation of the vision of the Digital India programme, the Ministry is promoting utilisation of information and communication technology to achieve the goal of gender equality and women empowerment. It is an effort to utilise the digital space to enable speedier response to the complaints of women against sexual harassment at workplace.        

The Minister of State for Women and Child Development, Smt Krishna Raj; Secretary WCD, Shri Rakesh Srivastava and senior officers of the Ministry as well as  its associated organizations were present at today’s launch event.

Doval's visit key to ease Sikkim standoff: Chinese analyst

Beijing, Jul 22 (PTI) Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval's visit to Beijing for a meeting of NSAs from BRICS countries may be key to ease tensions between India and China over the military standoff in Dokalam, a Chinese analyst said.

Doval is scheduled to visit China for the meeting on July 27-28.

The meeting is hosted by his Chinese counterpart and State Councillor Yang Jiechi. It is part of a series of meetings of officials from BRICS countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa - ahead of this year's summit of the five-member bloc of emerging countries in Xiamen city in September.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend the summit.

Ma Jiali, a research fellow at the China Reform Forum thinktank, said Doval's visit may be key and would serve as an opportunity to ease India-China tensions.

His comments came in a piece in The Global Times, the mouthpiece of the Communist Party media group, which generally reflects the views of the ruling party, today. The tabloid has unleashed a barrage of anti-India rhetoric in recent weeks amid tensions between the two countries.

Chinese and Indian soldiers have been locked in a face- off in Dokalam area in the southernmost part of Tibet in an area also claimed by Indian ally Bhutan for over a month after Indian troops stopped the Chinese army from building a road in the disputed area.

Both Doval and Yang are also the Special Representatives for India-China boundary talks. The two sides have held 19 rounds of boundary talks to resolve their differences.

Chinese officials say Doval and Yang may have informal talks to resolve the standoff in Dokalam in the Sikkim sector.

"China would lodge solemn representation with the Indian side during Doval's visit, hoping it could take measures to ease the tension. India may make some requests as a bargaining chip for its pulling out troops," Ma, who specialises in India-China studies, said.

He, however, cautioned that if the two sides failed to reach an agreement on the issue, the China-India ties would be severely damaged.

Ram temple should be constructed in legal manner: Shah

Jaipur, Jul 22 (PTI) BJP President Amit Shah today said his party wants the Ram temple in Ayodhya to be constructed in a legal manner after mutual dialogue.

"The party's stand is clear and mentioned in the last four Lok Sabha election manifestos. The temple should be constructed in a legal manner and there should be mutual dialogue," he said at a press conference here.

On suggestions that the creamy layer among SCs/STs should be excluded from reservation benefits, the BJP supremo said a decision can only be taken after discussion with all parties in Parliament.

Shah, who is a on a three-day visit to the state, said that all political parties should discuss the issue of holding Lok Sabha and assembly elections simultaneously and take it up with the Election Commission.

"We definitely want that Lok Sabha and state assembly elections should be held together.

"The BJP believes in the concept and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also expressed his desire with all political parties for discussion," he said.

Addressing the press conference, Shah referred to major steps by the BJP-led government in Centre, including demonetisation, GST implementation and shutting down shell companies.

He said the BJP was never against GST implementation by UPA-led government but it was against the way it was sought to be implemented.

"The states were demanding that losses incurred by them should be fully compensated by the Centre. We accepted their demands while implementing the GST and now the states are with us, Shah said in reply to a question.

"There were apprehensions raised by the Opposition, but people of the country have accepted it," he said.

Asked whether the government intends to bring any legislation on cow protection, Shah said that such laws already exist in BJP-ruled states.

Ram Nath Kovind is India's 14th President

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi congratulates the President-elect, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, in New Delhi on July 20, 2017.

New Delhi, Jul 20 (PTI) Ram Nath Kovind, a low-key lawyer-turned-politician, was elected today as India's 14th President, the first BJP member and the second Dalit to occupy the country's highest office.

The 71-year-old Kovind defeated joint opposition candidate Meira Kumar, a former Lok Sabha speaker, after garnering 65.65 percent of the votes in the electoral college.

Expressing happiness over the "extensive" support Kovind got from the electoral college, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "Congratulations to Shri Ram Nath Kovind Ji on being elected the President of India! Best wishes for a fruitful & inspiring tenure."

A former Bihar governor, Kovind received 2930 votes with a value of 7,02,044, said election Returning Officer Anoop Mishra. Kumar got 1844 votes with a value of 3,67,314.

The winning margin was not as big as forecast by the BJP, which had projected a 70 per cent vote for Kovind. Outgoing President Pranab Mukherjee had received votes valued at 7,13,763.

"I never aspired to be the president. My win is a message to those discharging their duties with integrity. My election as the President is an evidence of the greatness of Indian democracy," Kovind told the media after his victory was announced. "I am feeling emotional."

Kovind is the first BJP member to be elected president.

He will take oath of office on July 25 for a five-year term.

He is also the second Dalit to occupy Rashtrapati Bhavan after K.R. Narayanan. Previous presidents have included a Sikh and two Muslims.

As soon as the results were formally announced, the sounds of firecrackers going off reverberated in Kalyanpur in Kanpur Dehat in Uttar Pradesh, where Kovind hails from.

The teachers of DAV College, where Kovind had studied, said they were proud of his achievement.

"For us it is indeed a glorious moment, as one of the proud alumnus of our college is now going to occupy the top constitutional post of the country," said Amit Kumar Srivastava, principal of the college.

Kovind's victory is partly due to the BJP's massive victory in the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections earlier this year. This gave the party a big boost in the electoral college numbers.

Even after the U.P. victory, the BJP-led NDA was slightly short of majority and had to rely on the support of non-NDA parties such as TRS in Telangana, AIADMK factions and DMK in Tamil Nadu, the JD(U) in Bihar, and BJD in Odisha.

But the party played a masterstroke by fielding a Dalit candidate as part of its outreach to woo the backward communities, which several opposition parties found difficult to oppose given the political sensitivites. This forced the opposition to follow suit and put up Kumar, a diplomat- turned-politician, in a Dalit vs Dalit fight.

Congratulating her poll rival, Kumar said it has now fallen on Kovind to uphold the Constitution in letter and spirit in "these challenging times".

Kumar said that her fight for secularism, the oppressed and the marginalised will continue.

Modi also congratulated Kumar for her campaign, saying it was "in the spirit of democratic ethos and values we all are proud of".

Among those who congratulated Kovind were Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, a host of chief ministers and other politician.

Soon after, the president-elect met with Modi, who put a piece of sweetmeat in his mouth after putting a stole around his neck, as BJP President Amit Shah looked on.

Hailing as "historic" Kovind's election, Shah said it is a "victory for the poor, downtrodden and marginalised and their aspirations".

A total of 768 out of 771 eligible MPs cast votes.

Likewise, 4083 out of 4109 eligible MLAs cast their votes, registering a turnout of nearly 100 percent.

While 522 MPs voted for Kovind, Kumar secured support of 225 parliamentarians.

The electoral college comprises of Members of Parliament and members of legislative assemblies of all states.

While the value of an MLA's vote depends on the population of his or her state, the value of an MP's vote remains the same at 708.

The polling was marked by cross-voting in various states where many opposition members favoured Kovind.

The vice-presidential election will be held on August 5.

While BJP has nominated a former party president, Venkaiah Naidu, the opposition has fielded former West Bengal governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi.

I regret it: Karan Johar on Kangana joke at IIFA

Mumbai, Jul 19 (PTI) Filmmaker Karan Johar has admitted the nepotism joke targeting Kangana Ranaut at the IIFA Awards stage was his idea and it is something that he regrets now.

Johar, Saif Ali Khan and Varun Dhawan raked up the nepotism debate during the award ceremony on July 15, where the trio chanted "nepotism rocks", mocking Kangana for calling the "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" director the "flag-bearer of nepotism" on his chat show earlier this year.

Varun apologised on Tuesday, while Johar in an interview with NDTV on Wednesday said it was a case of a joke gone wrong and his intention was never to hurt anyone.

"What we said was meant to be a joke, which I think has been misplaced, misunderstood and I think it went wrong. I regret it. The idea of that joke was entirely mine, so I take onus of the idea of what we said. And I think we went a bit far by the Kangana mention.

"No matter what I say or feel about my issues with what Kangana said on my talk show... I think I was raised to be dignified, chivalrous and a decent person. That's the upbringing that I was given and I feel that I failed on those accounts," he said, adding that he is closing the chapter once and for all.

Kangana's comment on Johar's show had kicked up the nepotism storm in Bollywood, where family connections often lead to better career opportunities.

Johar had taken umbrage to the actress' remark, which led to a verbal duel between him and Kangana after the show aired.

The topic cropped once again at the recently-concluded awards ceremony.

When Varun went up to the stage to receive the best comic actor award, Saif joked, "You are here because of your papa." 

To which Varun replied, "You are here because of your mummy (referring to Sharmila Tagore)." 

Soon, Johar joined them and said he too was in the industry because of his father, filmmaker Yash Johar. The trio then shouted, "Nepotism rocks".

Saif and Varun then sang "Bole chudiyaan" from Johar's film "Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham..." But the director twisted the second part of the song to take a potshot at Kangana, saying, 'Kangana na hi bole toh achha hai' (It would be better if Kangana did not speak).

The actress, known for her outspoken nature, is yet to respond but the joke has backfired for the trio with netizens criticising them for their sense of entitlement.

Comedian Tanmay Bhat posted, "I just realised they legit yelled 'Nepotism rocks' at the end of it and I cannot stop facepalming." 

"I don't know what kind of entitlement you need to actually find 'nepotism rocks' funny. Like yeah, it did for you and that makes you a loser," a Twitter user said.

Jaitley defamation case: HC chides Kejriwal's lawyers over conduct

New Delhi, Jul 18 (PTI) The Delhi High Court today said that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was "not being reasonable" in the civil defamation case against him by Union minister Arun Jaitley, and cautioned his lawyers over their conduct.

"You (defendant 1 - Kejriwal) are not being reasonable.

Your conduct is not reasonable. It cannot be like this. We cannot have proceedings go on in this manner. Otherwise tomorrow we will have fist fight in court. Whole system is on the brink of collapse," Justice Manmohan said.

"I am cautioning you. Give good advice," the judge said to the lawyer representing Kejriwal.

The oral observations by the court came on an application moved by Jaitley to expedite the recording of evidence in an orderly and fair manner in a Rs 10-crore defamation suit filed by him against Kejriwal and five other Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders for allegations of corruption made by them against the BJP leader.

When the application came up for hearing, senior advocate Rajiv Nayar, appearing for Jaitley, said the Union minister has been compelled to move the plea "as every hearing before the Joint Registrar cannot prompt a fresh defamation case".

Advocate Ramesh Singh, appearing for Kejriwal, sought time to file his reply to the application and, thereafter, the court listed the matter for further hearing on July 24.

The application, filed through advocate Manik Dogra, was moved subsequent to the use of an objectionable word against Jaitley by the Delhi Chief Minister's lawyer Ram Jethmalani during the Union minister's cross examination in the suit.

The use of the objectionable word had led to Jaitley filing another Rs 10-crore defamation suit against Kejriwal.

The application for expedited hearing claims that "numerous irrelevant and scandalous questions have been asked during the cross examination" of the Union minister and that "abusive and defamatory statements have been made" on the instructions of Kejriwal.

The application further contends that the intention of the defendants (Kejriwal and others) was to "delay the conclusion of recording of evidence by posing questions which are designed to be insulting and annoying".

In the first defamation case, besides Kejriwal, the five other accused are AAP leaders Raghav Chadha, Kumar Vishwas, Ashutosh, Sanjay Singh and Deepak Bajpai.

They had accused the BJP leader of corruption as the President of the DDCA, a post he had held from 2000 to 2013.

Jaitley, who had denied all the allegations levelled by the AAP leaders in December 2015, had claimed that they had made "false and defamatory" statements in the case involving DDCA, thereby harming his reputation.

The AAP leaders had allegedly attacked Jaitley and his family members in various fora including social media over the alleged irregularities and financial bungling in the DDCA.

Justice Manmohan had earlier termed as "scandalous" the remarks made by Jethmalani against Jaitley before the Joint Registrar during the cross-examination.

Terming the word as not only "false, baseless, malicious and abusive, but per se defamatory", Jaitley in his fresh suit has stated that he was "subjected to numerous questions, terminologies/statements that are ex-facie abusive, malicious, offensive, irrelevant and slanderous".

Sensex sinks 364 pts, ITC crashes 13 per cent

Mumbai, Jul 18 (PTI) Benchmark Sensex today slipped from life highs to end sharply lower at 31,710.99 by falling 364 points following a steep plunge in ITC Ltd stocks after the GST Council yesterday hiked tax on cigarettes.

Besides, the broader Nifty also cracked below the 9,900- mark.

Sentiment was hurt after the GST Council raised the tax on cigarettes to take away an estimated Rs 5,000 crore annual "windfall" manufacturers could have reaped from lower GST rates.

The market was also pulled down by negative European and mixed Asian peers as setbacks for a health care overhaul in the US raised doubts over prospects for a range of reforms backed by President Donald Trump.

Shares of ITC Ltd emerged worst performer among the Sensex and Nifty components by crashing 12.63 per cent to Rs 284.60 on the BSE.

Other cigarette stocks, Godfrey Phillips and VST Industries, also tanked by up to 7.83 per cent.

Venkaiah Naidu is NDA's vice presidential candidate: Shah

New Delhi, Jul 17 (PTI) Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu, a veteran BJP leader from Andhra Pradesh, will be NDA's vice presidential candidate, party president Amit Shah said today.

Naidu was chosen at the BJP Parliamentary board meeting here attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior party leaders.

The 68-year old Naidu currently holds the portfolios of Information and Broadcasting and Housing and Urban Affairs.

The former BJP president is pitted against Gopalkrishna Gandhi, who was chosen by an alliance of 18 opposition parties, including the Congress.

The electoral college for the August 5 election consists of 790 MPs of the two chambers of Parliament.

Naidu will file his nomination tomorrow at 11 AM, Shah said.

Tomorrow is the last day for the filing of nominations.

Modi asks state govts to come down hard on cow vigilantes

New Delhi, Jul 16 (PTI) Seeking to blunt the opposition attack over cow vigilantism, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today sought to put the onus for checking such "hooliganism" on state governments, insisting that they take "stringent action" against them.

The prime minister also sought the support of opposition parties in tackling "communal violence" in the name of cow protection, and deprecated attempts at giving political or communal colour to the issue.

"All political parties should collectively denounce hooliganism in the name of cow protection. The state governments should take stringent action against such anti- social elements," Modi said in a series of tweets.

Earlier in the day, he told an all-party meeting on the eve of the start of the Monsoon Session of Parliament tomorrow that maintaining law and order was the responsibility of state governments, which should take strict action against perpetrators of such incidents.

"Cow is treated as a mother and it is an emotive issue.

But we have to understand that there are laws governing cow protection and breaking it is not an alternative," Modi tweeted after the meeting.

He said some anti-social elements were using cow protection as "a tool to spread anarchy. Some people who want to damage the social fabric of the country are also taking advantage of it.

Modi said such incidents sullied the image of the country.

"State governments must ensure the maintenance of law and order and strict action must be taken against those who break the law," an official statement quoted Modi having told the meeting.

The statements assume significance in context of the recent incidents of violence in different parts of the country in the name of cow protection.

Opposition parties have attacked the BJP over the cases of cow vigilantism in which Muslims and Dalits have often been targeted. These parties have also planned to raise the issue during the Parliament session starting tomorrow.

The prime minister also urged all parties to extend their support to the government in fighting corruption.

Apparently hinting at Trinamool Congress and RJD on the issue of corruption, the prime minister said the political class should join hands against those who seek an escape route by dubbing action against them in graft cases as a political conspiracy.

"When law takes its course against those who loot the nation, we have to unite against those who seek an escape route by dubbing such an action as a political conspiracy," the Prime Minister tweeted.

In his speech, Modi also referred to the presidential poll to be held tomorrow and said it would have been better had there been a consensus on the candidate.

He, however, said "high level of dignity" has been maintained by both sides during the campaign and there was no ill will and foul language was not used. He also called upon all political parties to ensure that everyone votes and no vote is wasted.

While the ruling BJP-led NDA has named Ram Nath Kovind its candidate, the Congress-led group of opposition parties has fielded former Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar. Kovind has a big numerical advantage over his rival.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar told reporters after the meeting that Modi also noted that 75th anniversary of the Quit India movement falls on August 9 and all parties should celebrate it.

He also thanked everyone for the implementation of the GST, calling it a "shining example of co-operative federalism".

On the issue of Kashmir and tensions with China, Kumar said the government had a meeting with opposition leaders who said they were with the government on matters of national security.

To preserve institutions of democracy, Modi said, it was important that all political parties support the government in conducting the business in Parliament without disruption so constructive discussion can take place on issues of national importance.

"The Prime Minister in one voice with the leaders of all parties also asserted that all political parties stand united to ensure the nation's safety and security, after such concerns were raised by many leaders on recent developments," he said.

There was a consensus on ensuring the smooth functioning of Parliament and that deadlocks should be resolved through constructive discussion, he said.

Among opposition leaders who attended the meeting were Ghulam Nabi Azad (Congress), Sharad Pawar (NCP), Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M), Mulayam Singh Yadav (SP), Farooq Abdullah (NC) and D Raja (CPI).

However, no one from the JD(U) or the Trinamool Congress was present. TMC had announced it would boycott the meeting amid recriminations between it and the BJP over the recent violence in West Bengal.