Govt, Oppn likely to sit together to end Rajya Sabha stalemate

The government and the opposition are keen on ending the current impasse in the Rajya Sabha, which saw a washout of proceedings in the first week of the Winter Session, and the House may resume normal functioning this week, sources said.
The two sides are likely to sit together and work out a resolution of the stalemate in Parliament over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "conspiracy-with-Pakistan" remarks made during Gujarat poll campaign against his predecessor Manmohan Singh.
While the opposition led by the Congress has been demanding an apology or clarification from the prime minister over his remarks, the government is not ready for it.

Sources said Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu has also negotiated a resolution of the issue by calling upon both sides to sit and find a solution.
There have been a few meetings between Leader of the House Arun Jaitley and Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad, separately as well as in Naidu's presence.
Sources said the two are likely to sit again and find a solution in a day or so to enable the Upper House to function smoothly starting Wednesday, when the House meets after an extended weekend.
The last week's proceedings were washed out due to the stalemate. The House functioned normally only one day when the Companies Amendment Bill was passed.