Venkaiah Naidu pulls up MPs for low attendance in meets

New Delhi: Rajya Sabha chairman Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday pulled up MPs for their low attendance in parliamentary standing committees’ meetings and urged the leaders of all parties to ensure “quantitative and qualitative functioning” of these panels.

The comments of the chair came after a meeting of Mr Naidu with chairpersons of these panels in the morning. He pointed out that only 18 members each from both Houses of Parliament attended eight Rajya Sabha committee meetings since being reconstituted in September this year.

Sharing concern about the functioning of these committees in the Upper House, Mr Naidu said: “I expect the number of members of this House with full attendance in the meetings of the committees to rise.”

Each member of the department-related standing committee represents 25 members of Parliament while deliberating in the committee. If one member is absent, the voice of 25 MPs would not be heard, according to Mr Naidu.

"I, hence, appeal to leaders of all the parties and members of this august House to ensure quantitative and qualitative functioning of these committees in whom the Parliament has vested an important responsibility of functioning on its behalf,” he added.

Mr Naidu said Rajya Sabha’s eight department-related standing committees (DRSCs),  which were reconstituted in September, had held a total of 41 meetings since then.  An analysis of attendance in all these 41 meetings revealed a “disturbing trend”.