The NDA government succeeded in getting some of its crucial agenda, including bills to replace five of six ordinances, passed in parliament in the budget session's first half but was forced to defer passage of land bill in the Rajya Sabha in the face of stiff opposition.
The session, which began February 23, saw opposition parties target the government on a range of issues including release of separatist Masrat Alam on orders of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. The Bharatiya Janata Party is part of ruling coalition in Jammu and Kashmir.
As part of its commitment to curb black money, the government introduced a bill in the Lok Sabha aimed at unearthing black money and punishing those with ill-gotten wealth stashed abroad. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had spoken about the bill in his budget speech and it was introduced on the last day of the session's first half.
The government's vulnerability in the Rajya Sabha, where it does not have a majority, was evident during the session as two of the crucial bills to replace ordinances - the mines and minerals bill and the coal mines bill - could be passed only on the last day as the bills were sent to select committee which gave its report in almost a week.
Also passed was the long-pending insurance law amendment bill which hikes the foreign equity cap in domestic companies from 26 percent to 49 percent and is expected to give a push to the Narendra Modi government's reform agenda.
The session, while also saw passage of rail budget and conclusion of discussion on the the general budget, came soon after the BJP's stunning defeat in the Delhi assembly polls.
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The government managers had to work hard to bring opposition parties on board on some of the pending legislations. Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu reached out to Congress president Sonia Gandhi to seek her party's cooperation for the government's legislative agenda.
But the government efforts to get the land bill passed did not succeed as opposition parties, which were totally opposed to the land ordinance, continued their resistance in Rajya Sabha even after the bill was passed in the Lok Sabha with nine official amendments. The ordinance will lapse April 5.
Members of 14 opposition parties went on a march from the parliament to meet President Pranab Mukherjee and convey their opposition to the bill.
The government also faced embarrassment in the Rajya Sabha as the motion of thanks to the president's address was adopted with an amendment.
Other major bills passed to replace ordinances include citizenship amendment bill and motor vehicles amendment bill.
PRS Legislative Research, which tracks work of parliament, said the first half of the session saw high productivity.
"The productivity this session has been at a high 121 percent in Lok Sabha, being one of the highest in the last few sessions. Given the background of six ordinances at the beginning of the session, five of them have been passed by both the houses," said Trina Roy of the think-tank.
She said the productivity was 108 percent in the Rajya Sabha.
Naidu, who interacted with the media after the conclusion of the session, said that the land bill will be taken up in the Rajya Sabha in the second half of session beginning April 20 and going on till May 8.
Sources said that the government is contemplating re-issuing the ordinance and may go for proroguing at least one of the houses for this purpose.