Speaking to BJP lawmakers at a Parliamentary party meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday, PM Narendra Modi said that he can call any MP anytime to check if they are attending sessions regularly. 

The low attendance in Parliament has recently led to several delays in decision-making. The issue came to the fore last year too when BJP sacked 12 MPs from its Parliamentary panels in March for low attendance. 

The issue came up again today after Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar brought up the instance of empty benches in the Parliament, NDTV reported. 

Addressing the problem, Modi censured his ministers saying that the PM can do a lot of things but he cannot personally attend Parliamentary sessions on behalf of his MPs. He added that attending Parliament was an MP’s basic responsibility as a representative of people.

He also chided his MPs by saying  that his MPs have time to do everything but not to attend Parliament. 

Modi also said that it was not enough for MPs to be in the Central Hall where they often gather and chat informally.  The MPs have to be present and sit in on the sessions in their respective houses. 

The PM also spoke of low attendance at local body levels. BJP has over 11 crore primary members, according to its figures and all of them should be asked to join panchayat and municipal-level meetings on April 6, the PM told the members present in the meeting. 

Feature Image Source: Reuters