NEW DELHI: Despite the presence of many first timers in the 16th Lok Sabha, more than 100 members have skipped the first-part of the ongoing Budget session. Going by the session-wise members’ attendance report of the Lok Sabha Secretariat, during the Budget session part-I (February 23 to March 20), there were a total of 19 sittings of the Lower House.
For 14 of these sittings, over 100 members were absent on each of these days. As many as 138 Lok Sabha members were absent in the House on the opening day of the Budget session, the highest number of absentees on any given day.
The secondhighest absentees were on the final day before the recess, when 137 members stayed away when the House debated the agrarian situation in the country. Records revealed that 124 members skipped the House when Finance Minister Arun Jaitley presented the General Budget in the Lok Sabha. Out of 19 sittings, 28 members did not attend the House for 10 days.
Congress vicepresident Rahul Gandhi did not attend the session as he was on a vacation. Congress Deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Captain Amarinder Singh attended the Budget session only for one day on February 24.
The BJP’s new ally in Kashmir, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti attended the House for only five days. on the absentee list, Rama Chandra Hansdah, BJD MP from Mayurbhanj, sought special permission from the Odisha court to attend the House for one day, as he is currently in jail in a case of financial fraud.
S P Y Reddy, formerly a YSR Congress MP who joined the TDP, attended for four days; AIADMK’s T G Venkatesh Babu for three days, and PDP’s Muzaffar Hussain Baig and Tariq Hameed Karra and actorturned- Trinamool MP Deepak Adhikari attended the Lok Sabha for two days each.
Among the other MPs, Mamata Thakur, Prakash Hukkeri, Shibu Soren, Hema Malini, Heena Vijay Gavit, Liladharbhai Vaghela and Sultan Ahmed attended the House for nine nine days each.
Boora Narsaiah Goud, Raosaheb Danve Patil, Sanjay Haribhau Jadhav and Vittalbhai Hansrajbhai Radadiya on eight days. Y S Avinash Reddy, Dimple Yadav, Suvendu Adhikari, Ashwini Kumar and Midhun Reddy could attend the House only for seven days. Subrata Bakshi and Naba Kumar Sarania on six days while Sirajuddin Ajmal could manage only five days.
The Lok Sabha Secretariat compiles the attendance of MPs on the basis of datewise signatures of the members in the register for the purpose of allowances. As per practice, members who are ministers, Leader of Opposition and Deputy Speaker do not sign the attendance register.
During last year’s Budget session (July 7 to August 14), out of 27 sittings, more than 100 members skipped 10 days.
During the Winter session (November 24 to December 23), more than 100 members skipped all days. Even in the UPA regime, during the Budget session (February 21, 2013 to March 22, 2013 and April 22, 2013 to May 8, 2013), out of 32 sittings, more than 100 members skipped all days.