New Delhi: Clearly wary of the daunting task ahead in getting a clutch of ordinances passed by Parliament, the government has reached out to the Opposition parties, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking cooperation for the benefit of all citizens.

The government has also said it would “go the extra mile” to accommodate concerns of the Opposition parties. The PM stressed at a meeting of all parties on Sunday that the smooth functioning of Parliament must be ensured as the Budget Session was crucial, and people had a lot of hopes and expectations riding on it.

“The leaders of all political parties should collectively ensure proper utilisation of time in both Houses so that we can work towards meeting the hopes and aspirations of the people,” Mr Modi said. Parliamentary affairs minister M. Venkaiah Naidu also reached out to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, and drove to her 10 Janpath residence here, to seek cooperation of the Opposition party in the Budget Session.

“The government is willing to walk the extra mile to accommodate the Opposition. My appeal is that the House should be allowed to function smoothly,” he told reporters after meeting Mrs Gandhi who voiced concern over the dilution of some key provisions of Land ordinance.