Behave, Shekhawat is in the House

The VP has also restricted the number of supplementaries to each question to two. Thus, MPs can now discuss as many as eight or nine questions a day. When an MP lists a question, the relevant ministry sits down to ready its reply. The minister, secretary and senior officials prepare extensive notes so that even possible supplementaries can be answered inside the House. Then, the ministry top brass is required to be present at the House when the question is actually asked. When you list 20 questions everyday, it’s no surprise at all ministry officials are not available half the time during the session—they are either preparing answers or they’re in the House attending Question Hour. And all their efforts would be wasted when the question would never be asked due to a shortage of time. Not any more.

Shekhawat has also cracked down on MPs who list questions and disappear when their turn comes to ask the question. It’s an old trick that the veteran politician knows a bit too well: many of these listed-but-not-asked questions relate to business houses. The MPs list questions, settle the issue with the business house concerned, and don’t turn up to ask the question.

So when three questions were listed during the current session—two against a business house and another against a pharma company-and the MPs disappeared, the VP ticked them off, pointing out that though they were at Parliament, they hadn’t bothered to make it to the floor of the House. The VP has also a very clear development agenda with population control on top of the list. It is learnt that he will be pressurising the government into bringing tougher legislation to ensure birth control.

A Bungalow For Dilipji

It’s almost three years since Dilip Kumar was nominated a Rajya Sabha member. It’s a pity that he still hasn’t received official accommodation. If the chairman of the Parliament Housing Committee, who happens to be a BJP MP, cannot get his act together, then Urban Development Minister Ananth Kumar should intervene.

I was recently in Mumbai to attend a function hosted by Shatrughan Sinha, where I met Dilipji. He was so upset that he told me he wouldn’t attend House sessions anymore if he didn’t have a place to stay when he came to the Capital. His humiliation is understandable. The late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had made a rule that eminent artistes should get bungalow type accommodations.

This category was recently abolished, but Dilipji should at least get a Type 6 accommodation. Lata Mangeshkar too has completed four years as a Rajya Sabha member, but there’s no accommodation for her either. Whenever she’s in town to attend House sessions, she either stays at a hotel or at RP Goenka’s house.

To be sure, she hasn’t demanded government accommodation but it is the Parliament Housing Committee’s responsibility to offer her one. When scores of former ministers and bureaucrats occupy bungalows, it’s a shame that such legendary figures are denied their right. In fact, it’s been noticed that of late, family members of leaders are setting up memorials at government bungalows and hanging on to the accommodation. The Centre should come up with strict rules that such memorials are not used for residential purposes.