Sukhbir Badal, Sunny Deol among 11 MPs who skipped Winter Session of Parliament

Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, December 22

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Absenteeism remained in news throughout the Winter Session of Parliament with records now showing that 11 Lok Sabha MPs did not attend any sitting while six attended two or lesser number of sittings.

Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal and actor Sunny Deol are among 11 Lok Sabha MPs who skipped the Winter Session that concluded on Wednesday a day ahead of schedule.

The session had 18 sittings over 24 days and commenced on November 29.

The Lok Sabha Secretariat said the 11 MPs were granted leave after they applied for absence to the committee concerned.

Ferozepur MP Sukhbir Singh Badal and Gurdaspur MP Sunny Deol are among MPs allowed leave.

Nine others who absented with permission of the Chair are BJP’s Sanjay Dhotre (due to illness), BSP’s Atul Rai (jail detention), SP’s Azam Khan (jail detention), former education minister and BJP member Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank (illness), BJP’s Vijay Baghel (election in constituency), TMC’s Shishir Adhikari (illness), BJP’s V Srinivas Prasad (illness) and SKM’s Indra Subba (marriage).

Of the 11 MPs absent from the session, five are from the BJP.

Six MPs who attended the session for two or lesser number of days are BJP’s Bangaon (West Bengal) MP and MoS Shipping Shantanu Thakur; Chandigarh MP Kirron Kher (illness); BJP’s Basti (UP) MP Harish Dwivedi, JDU’s Bhagalpur (Bihar) MP Ajay Kumar Mandal; TMC’s Kolkata Dakshin MP Mala Roy and JDS’ Hassan (Karnataka) MP Prajwal Revanna.

On December 21, at least 15 MPs were absent when Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla called out their names to ask queries listed against their name during the Question Hour.

Leaders come when they have listed items or questions: Speaker on PM

On the Opposition’s concern that Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not attend many sittings of the Winter Session of Parliament, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla today said, “Leaders attend when they have items or questions listed.”

Congress deputy leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi said, “The PM did not come to the House for several days.”

PM Modi, Sonia, Shah attend last day of session

PM Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Congress president Sonia Gandhi were present in the Lok Sabha on the last day of the Winter Session today.