Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh among MPs with lower attendance in Parliament – India

28 aug 2012

Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh among MPs with lower attendance in Parliament

 

Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiothoracic Cardiac Heart surgeon India

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Janata Dal (Secular) leader HD Kumaraswamy, Uttar Pradesh chief minister and Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, and Bharatiya Janata Party’s Navjyot Singh Sidhu are among those who barely attended Parliament in the third year of the 15th Lok Sabha.

While Mr Gandhi was present in the Lok Sabha on 24 days out of the 85 sittings it had between May 2011 and May 2012, Mr Yadav fared slightly better by remaining present on 31 days. Mr Sidhu and Mr Kumaraswamy, former Karnataka Chief Minister, attended the Lok Sabha on 16 days.

This was stated in ‘Representative at Work’ – a report on the third year performance of the 15th Lok Sabha 2011-12 prepared by an NGO ‘Mass for Awareness’.

The least attendance (of four days) was recorded by A Raja (DMK) who was jailed in connection with the 2G spectrum scam.

Congress leader Suresh Kalmadi was present for 30 days and former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda (an Independent) attended 25 sittings of the Lok Sabha.

UPA chairperson and Congress president Sonia Gandhi attended the House for 34 days out of a total of 85 days. She was also out of the country for treatment of an undisclosed illness.

Nirmal Khatri, PL Punia, JP Agarwal (all from Congress), LK Advani (BJP), M Thambidurai (AIADMK) were among those having cent per cent attendance.

Giving details about the spending from Member of Parliament Local Area Development Fund (MPLADS), the report said that Sonia Gandhi utilised Rs. 2.32 crore, Mr Advani spent Rs. 1.71 crore and Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj spent Rs. 8.58 crore.

A total of 12,201 interruptions and 110 adjournments were reported from the Lower House in the 85 sittings. In all, 175 hours and 51 minutes were lost in chaos with issues like price rise, land acquisition, CAG report, Lokpal and Lokayukta, FDI and demand of the then Home Minister P Chidambaram’s resignation halting the proceedings.

Also, 91 Private Members Bills were presented and eight per cent MPs used this parliamentary provision. However, more than 50 per cent of the members used the parliamentary instrument of ‘Special Mention’.