A combative Congress will raise issues like the ongoing violence in Kashmir and the fiasco of India’s unsuccessful attempt to join the Nuclear Supplier’s Group [NSG] in the monsoon session of parliament.

BJP too appeared to be in a chastised mood as, for the first time, prime minister Narendra Modi had directly sought cooperation of the opposition, especially Congress, in the passage of GST [Goods and Services tax] bill. In The bill is aimed at replacing a slew of complicated and overlapping taxation rules across India and is touted as a major economic reform.

READ: All eyes on GST Bill as monsoon session of parliament begins

Modi had convened a special meeting of all the political parties on the eve of parliament session wherein he sought their cooperation in passage of all the bills particularly the GST. He also appreciated the stand taken by political parties on the ongoing violence in Kashmir. BJP needs support of Congress for the passage of GST bill in the Rajya Sabha where it still does not have a majority on its own.

Modi said the passage of GST bill should not be taken as a victory of government but of all the political parties.

However, after the meeting, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad refused to give commitment on supporting the bill and said Congress will decide its position on the matter of the bill.

The Modi government is also likely to face the flake, especially from Congress, for centre’s attempts to destabilize government of opposition parties. Court intervention has saved Congress governments in Uttarakhand and Arunachal.

After attending the meeting, some of the leaders said that prime minister appeared to be in a reconciliatory mood.

However, this is unlikely to save the government from attacks on its inept ways of handling crucial foreign issues like India’s entry into the NSG, which was blocked by China. The opposition feels that the government had handled the whole issue in a clumsy way and had gone to the NSG without first talking to the China. This only not showed India in a poor light but also strained country’s relations with its biggest neighbour.

The monsoon session of the parliament, that began today will end on August 12.

GST is a major bill that the government will try to get it passed in this session.