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According to sources, MPs will have to register their presence in the proceedings of the House by pressing on the tab on their tables
The daily allowance the MPs get to attend is Rs 2,500. (AP File)
MPs must not just be heard, but also be seen. The speaker, party leaders and even the Prime Minister have time and again raised the issue of absentee MPs.
Sources say, for example, PM Narendra Modi got upset when 20 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs were absent during the discussion on ‘one nation, one poll’.
Congress leader Sonia Gandhi has raised the issue on multiple party platforms when party leaders have been absent during key discussions such as the one on Manipur.
At times, the absence is strategic, like say of an MP who wants to, for political reason, abstain from a vote or discussion if it hurts his or her constituency.
As per rules, MPs can be absent for long, if he or she has applied for leave from Speaker’s office. This apart, if a MP is absent for say 30 days minus leave application, a motion can be moved to remove him/her.
The speaker, on multiple occasions, has bemoaned the fact that MPs don’t take parliament seriously. What’s worse, many MPs rush in to collect the daily allowance, sign the registers kept outside and leave ASAP.
The daily allowance the MPs get to attend is Rs 2,500.
Speaker’s plan: Touch tab on tables
So the speaker has come up with a plan. According to sources, now MPs will have to and can register their attendance in the proceedings of the House by pressing on the tab which is kept on the tables. This will ensure that the MPs don’t rush after signing the register kept outside. They will have to come inside the Lok Sabha, sit on the seat and register their presence.
The speaker feels that this could go long way in ensuring that the MPs don’t use the session only to collect the daily allowance. In fact, there have been MPs like Jay Panda who have pushed for and also refused to collect the daily allowance in the past, whenever the house has been disrupted repeatedly. Their argument was that the house doesn’t run so the MP is also not entitled to this allowance.
Among the missing MP in terms of numbers, the record of the Congress has been particularly bad, while the BJP has been usually good.
We will have to wait and wait to see whether the tab touch can ensure that MPs will be more regular and participate in the proceedings, which they are expected to do as elected members.
Pallavi Ghosh has covered politics and Parliament for 15 years, and has reported extensively on Congress, UPA-I and UPA-II, and has now included the Finance Ministry and Niti Aayog in her reportage. She has als…Read More
Pallavi Ghosh has covered politics and Parliament for 15 years, and has reported extensively on Congress, UPA-I and UPA-II, and has now included the Finance Ministry and Niti Aayog in her reportage. She has als… Read More
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