New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi told BJP MPs on Tuesday that it was their basic responsibility to be present in Parliament, and said he could call any of them up at any time. Mr Modi also asked party MPs to highlight the GST as “Ek Desh, Ek Tax (One Nation, One Tax)”, but cautioned that they first needed to get themselves apprised about the subject.
Apparently miffed over a lack of quorum, which often causes delays in Parliament’s functioning, the Prime Minister said he could not be present in Parliament on behalf of missing MPs.
Addressing the BJP’s parliamentary party meeting, Mr Modi told MPs that it did not matter to him if they were in the Central Hall, a place to host joint sittings of Parliament where MPs often meet for informal conversation, as long they attended proceedings inside the Houses. Mr Modi’s remarks came after parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar spoke about incidents of lack of quorum in both Houses, including on Monday. Mr Modi had earlier asked members to ensure their presence, but this was the first time he gave tough instructions.
