NEW DELHI:Despite the presence of many first timers in the 16th Lok Sabha, more than 100 members skipped the first-part of this year’s Budget session. Going by the session-wise members’ attendance report of the Lok Sabha Secretariat during the Budget session Part-1 (February 23 to March 20), there were a total of 19 sittings of the Lower House. Ironically, for 14 sittings, over 100 members were absent for each of these days.
Interestingly, 138 Lok Sabha members were missing in the House on the very first day of the Budget session, the highest number of absentees on any given day. The second-highest absentees were on the last day of the session, when 137 members stayed away when the House debated the agrarian situation in the country. Certainly, MPs love their break.
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 vice-president Rahul Gandhi, who represents Amethi constituency, did not attend the session as he took an extended vacation.
Congress deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, Captain Amarinder Singh—who has been at the forefront for demanding that Sonia Gandhi retain leadership of the party instead of passing the baton to Rahul Gandhi—attended the budget session only for one day on February 24.
BJP’s new ally in Kashmir, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti attended the House for only five days. In the absentee list, Rama Chandra Hansdah, MP from Mayurbhanj, sought special permission from the Odisha court to attend the House for one day as he 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 actor-turned-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 attended for 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 attended for six days while Sirajuddin Ajmal could attend only five days.
The Lok Sabha Secretariat compiles the attendance of MPs on the basis of their date-wise signatures in the register for allowances, which has been hiked from Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000 per day. Members who are ministers, Leader of Opposition and Deputy Speaker do not sign the attendance register. During the 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 on all days.
Even in UPA regime, during the Budget Session, out of 32 sittings, over 100 members skipped on all days and over 200 MPs skipped on 14 days. During the Winter Session, in total 20 sittings, more than 200 members were absent on eight days.
Deepak Adhikari: 2
T G Venkatesh Babu: 3
S P Y Reddy: 4
Mehbooba Mufti: 5
Sirajuddin Ajmal: 5
Subrata Bakshi: 6
Naba Kumar Sarania: 6
Y S Avinash Reddy: 7
Dimple Yadav: 7
Suvendu Adhikari: 7
Ashwini Kumar: 7
Midhun Reddy: 7
Boora Narsaiah Goud: 8
Raosaheb Danve Patil: 8
Vittalbhai Hansrajbhai Radadiya: 8
Hema Malini: 9
Mamata Thakur: 9
Prakash Hukkeri: 9
Shibu Soren: 9
Heena Vijay
Gavit: 9
Liladharbhai
Vaghela: 9
Sultan
Ahmed: 9