Why was PM missing from Parliament, asks TMC as monsoon session wraps up

NEW DELHI: As the nearly washed-out Monsoon Session of Parliament closed two days before schedule on Wednesday, opposition Trinamool Congress attacked the government with several questions such as why was Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah missing from the House, why Bills were passed without scrutiny, and why no deputy leader of Lok Sabha has been appointed even after two years.
The opposition parties jointly kept demanding replies from them on the Pegasus snooping issue and price rise and the contentious farm laws.
“We want to ask the eight ministers who addressed a press conference on the session, these questions,” said TMC leader in Rajya Sabha, Derek O’Brien at a press conference addressed by him, senior Lok Sabha MP Saugata Roy and TMC vice president Yashwant Sinha, on Thursday.
Questioning the government, a day after Rajya Sabha witnessed unprecedented situation that “opposition termed as war-like” to pass the general insurance Bill, a newly energised TMC -- post it’s victory over BJP in the Bengal elections -- on Thursday hit out at the Centre, saying it had “seven questions for it, in regard to operating procedures of the monsoon session of Parliament,” that wrapped up abruptly on Wednesday, while addressing the media.
"Where were the Prime Minister and the Home Minister? Why couldn't they find time to come and be present in the Parliament to listen to us? Two former PMs, Shri Manmohan Singh and Shri H D Deve Gowda were present in the Houses and actively participated in it," was TMC’s first question to the government. The rest were:
"Opposition wanted discussion on internal security, Pegasus and the NSO connection but the government did not allow it. We also wanted a debate on farmers' protests, but even that did not happen. Why?"
"The PM is avoiding Parliament. Even Manmohan Singh was never comfortable with the parliamentary system - but he used to answer our questions on a designated day. However, ever since BJP came to power, Modi has never answered any questions. This is hooliganism."
"Government says they have a huge majority in Lok Sabha. It's been two years - where is the deputy Speaker of LS, why has no one been appointed yet?"
“A total of 39 bills were passed in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, without any debate. This is not how a democratic country works… average time of passing a bill was 10 minutes… 60-70% bills were sent to a parliamentary committee in 2014… now only 11% sent for scrutiny."
"Ordinance is used for passing important bills on an emergency basis. In the first 30 years since Independence, only one ordinance was used for every 10 bills - now almost 4 ordinances are used for every 10 bills. BJP government is treating emergency legislation to be a normal legislation."
Finally, TMC asked, “Whose business is it to run Parliament? The government’s responsibility or the opposition’s… who is the government accountable to… people…?