New Delhi: President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday cautioned the Modi government against resorting to the ordinance route to pass crucial legislation, subtly noting that the “extraordinary power” vested with the executive should be used only in “extraordinary circumstances.”

Mr Mukherjee also said the ordinance route, which has been used by the BJP government several times since it came to power in May last year, cannot and should not be used for “normal legislation.”

The President also had a tough message for the Opposition. He asked both the ruling and Opposition parties to sit together and find out a way to allow Parliament to work smoothly.

He was addressing students and faculty of Central universities, IITs and NITs using the National Knowledge Network from Rashtrapati Bhavan, speaking on the theme “Parliament and Policy making.”

The President cautioned the government against convening joint sittings of Parliament in order to pass Bills, saying that passage of legislation “in that way is not practicable... because I have seen from 1952 till today only four times laws were passed by joint sessions.”