Modi cautions Union Mins against skipping roster duties

Voicing displeasure for the second time within a month over the absence of party leaders during Parliament session, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday cautioned Union ministers against skipping their roster duties.

Addressing a meeting of the BJP Parliamentary Party, Modi was curt about their absence and demanded he should be given names of all absentee ministers the same evening.

The Prime Minister has pulled up MPs for absenteeism during Parliament session umpteen times. This time it was the turn of ministers to face the ire of Modi, who is very particular that the ministers stick to their roster duty and stay put in Parliament whenever it is in session.

Members from the Opposition have also raised the issue of absence of ministers during key debates. There have been instances when Cabinet ministers or their deputies scheduled to be present in either Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha were absent.

The issue of extending the on-going session was also discussed in the meeting. While the Prime Minister is open to the idea if is required for passing the government's legislative business, sources said it is not on the government's agenda as of now.

Briefing the reporters after the meeting, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said that the Prime Minister also asked party MPs to take up at least one cause of human sensitivity like eradication of leprosy or tuberculosis and water conservation as a mission in their constituencies.

Flagging that the country has fixed a deadline of 2025 for eradicating TB against the global deadline of 2030, Prime Minister asked MPs to work with local authorities for the development of their constituencies.