Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Jagdish Chandra Basunia asked questions to the Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) on Thursday, but neither the minister nor the MoS was present in the Lok Sabha to answer his queries.
Visibly upset over the lapse, Speaker Om Birla cautioned the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs against its recurrence in future. “Please take note and this should not happen again in the future,” he told him.
Birla also expressed his displeasure with some members indulging in lengthy discussions in Parliament when the Speaker was in the chair. Additionally, he voiced his concern over the absence of a Union minister who was unable to respond to questions related to his department.
During the zero hour, there was also a supplementary question supposed to be raised pertaining to the Ministry of MSME. However, the concerned Union minister, Jiten Ram Manjhi, was not present in Parliament.
Incidentally, the MoS was also absent from the Parliament. Consequently, the Lok Sabha Speaker expressed his dissatisfaction with them. He told the parliamentary affairs minister, “Please keep this matter in mind and ensure that such incidents do not recur in future.”
“Who is the minister of state for MSME,” he asked.
In the absence of the state minister, Speaker Birla had to instruct the parliamentary affairs minister, “This matter needs to be taken seriously.”
On Thursday, as the ‘zero hour’ commenced in the Lok Sabha, Speaker Birla remarked, “I have observed many members and ministers standing and engaging in lengthy discussions.”
He emphasised that speaking for one or two minutes should only occur when necessary and that prolonged discussions are inappropriate. Birla cautioned that in future, those who speak in such a manner will be named.
Earlier, during the question hour, the Speaker warned Independent MP Pappu Yadav for chatting with other members for an extended time and remarked with his back to the Speaker. “You are a senior member. Such behaviour is unacceptable. It is the responsibility of everyone to uphold the dignity of the Parliament, and all members and ministers should adhere to this principle.”