Prez hopes parties will work together in Parliament

"...Parliament has a heavy agenda. I hope all of you will work together in a spirit of constructive cooperation to discharge the business before the two Houses," Patil said in her address to the Joint Sitting of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha heralding the start of the Budget Session.

At the outset, Patil welcomed the law-makers for the Session noting that it marked the half-way of the government. "I hope this Session will be productive and useful," she said.

Her remarks came against the backdrop of reverses Congress suffered in the Assembly polls and hints by its friends and foes alike to make a common cause on issues like federalism.

Opposition leaders have hinted of a possible floor coordination between allies of Congress, its supporting parties and the opposition on the issue of federalism.

The Congress heading the UPA may not be in a position to take even the allies for granted with key coalition constituent Trinamool making it clear it was against a cut in fertiliser subsidy and rise in petroleum prices.

Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee has also joined non- Congress chief ministers in opposing the proposed National Counter Terrorism Centre(NCTC).

There have been frequent disruptions in the previous sessions of Parliament while one session over a year ago was completely washed away over the opposition demand for a Joint Parliamentary probe into the 2G scam.