10 of 13 Punjab MPs fails to present any private bill during 16th Lok Sabha

PATIALA: Ten of the 13 Member Parliamentarians in Punjab had failed to bring and submit a single Private Member’s Bill during their tenure in the 16 Lok Sabha. The Parliamentarians have this important right to present their Private Member's Bills in either of the houses to improve existing laws and to make laws in public interest.


Only three MPs including Patiala MP Dr Dharamvira Gandhi, MP from Ludhiana Ravneet Singh Bittu and Jalandhar MP Santokh Singh Chaudhary had exercised their right and presented the private Member’s Bill. However, three MPs including Bhagwant Mann representing Sangrur Lok Sabha constituency, Anandpur Sahib MP Prof. Prem Singh Chandumajra and Hoshiarpur MP Vijay Sampla have participated in a discussion regarding the Private Member Bills presented by other MPs.

Dr Gandhi had topped among the MPs of Punjab in presenting eight Private Member Bills. He presented Sikh Marriage Bill 2016, Hindu Minority and Guardianship Amendment Bill 2016, Guardianship and Wards Amendment Bill 2016, NDPS Amendment Bill 2016, Representation of Peoples Amendment Bill 2017, Thalassemia Prevention Bill, 2018, Industrial Employment and Environment Protection Bill 2018 and Indian Penal Code Amendment Bill 2018.

Similarly, Ravneet Singh Bittu presented four Private Member Bills, including Clinical Establishment Amendment Bill 2015, National Green Tribunal Amendment Bill 2016, Special Financial Assistance to State of Punjab Bill 2017 and Special Financial Assistance to State of Punjab for Welfare of Farmers Bill 2017.

Jalandhar MP Santokh Singh Chaudhary presented only one private Bill – Constitutional Amendment Bill, 2016.

The information was availed under RTI Act 2005 by a Ropar based RTI activist Advocate Dinesh Chadha who sought information from CPIO Lok Sabha in December 2018.

“Patiala MP Dr. Gandhi had presented eight bills whereas two other MPs also had made their efforts but the remaining MPs of Punjab did not present any private member's bill which was quite shocking. In the present time, when people are expecting solutions of their problems from their representatives, 10 of the 13 Lok Sabha MPs from Punjab did not submit any Private Member's Bill during the tenure. There are MPs who have been in power for more than one time and more familiar to their constituencies and the working of parliament but even then they had failed to come up with the private Bills”, said, Dinesh Chadda while adding that presenting such Bills was the main role of the MP. He said that only raising the questions by the MPs was not enough as the same can be sought by a common citizen under the RTI Act.

He added that instead of discussing the issues created by the politicians in these Lok Sabha elections, the performance of the members of Parliament should be discussed.