NEW DELHI: In the 17th Lok Sabha, 2019-24, the seven Members of Parliament (MPs) raised fewer questions and participated in less number of debates than their counterparts from other parts of the country.
According to data compiled by a non-profit research organisation (NGO), PRS Legislative Research, the seven MPs from the BJP participated in 36 debates on average during the five-year period. This was significantly lower than the national average of 46.7 debates per MP.
Among the Delhi parliamentarians, Ramesh Bhidhuri, the South Delhi MP, participated in the most debates at 74, followed by Meenakshi Lekhi (New Delhi) at 51, Parvesh Verma (West Delhi) at 47 and Manoj Tiwari (North-East Delhi) at 37.
On the other hand, Hans Raj Hans (North-West Delhi), Gautam Gambhir (East Delhi) and Dr Harsh Vardhan (Chandni Chowk) participated in just 4, 3 and 0 debates respectively.
When raising questions in the House, Delhi’s MPs asked 183 questions in total, which is once again lower than the national average of 210 questions per MP.
Manoj Tiwari raised the most questions at 395, followed by Parvesh Verma at 269, Ramesh Bhiduri at 188, and Meenakshi Lekhi at 133.
Once again, MPs Gautam Gambhir, Hans Raj Hans, and Dr Harsh Vardhan lagged, with just 97, 15, and 0 questions asked.
However, the seven MPs introduced more private members’ bills, with an average of 2.5 compared with the national average of 1.5. Parvesh Verma topped the list with a total of 12 bills introduced.
In another front, Delhi MPs had a slightly higher attendance rate in Parliament at 80 per cent compared with the national average of 79 per cent. Among the seven MPs, Dr Harsh Vardhan had the highest attendance at 96 per cent while Hans Raj Hans had the lowest attendance at 39 per cent.
For the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, except Manoj Tiwari, the BJP has replaced all its sitting MPs. In opposition, the AAP and Congress have formed an alliance with a 4:3 seat-sharing.
