However, the understanding, if any, seems to have come unstuck if last week's fiasco over the Copyright Amendment Bill is any indication. And soon thereafter, the BJP raised objections to the Architects (Amendment) Bill as well.
"One or two of the bills have been passed in the Lok Sabha amidst the din, so we were not able to oppose it," said Chandan Mitra, a Rajya Sabha member of the BJP.
"We are not opposing for the sake of opposing. These bills have serious problems. Besides, Sibal needs to handle his party members first. They are the ones who first blocked his bills," said Mitra.
A senior MP, who did not wish to be named, said, "It has become a personality issue. It is as if the members have decided that Sibal's bills will not be passed. He is seen as unbending and unwilling to reach out and engage with MPs. Today, it is the Opposition that has taken this stand, but until the last session it was his party members who took this view."
Officials in the minister's office, however, said that he has met and spoken with the Opposition leaders even after he was forced to defer the Copyright Amendment Bill.