Less than 20 of 60 new Rajya Sabha MPs attend key event

NEW DELHI: Less than 20 of the 60 first time Parliamentarians elected to Rajya Sabha attended a two-day orientation organised for them by the Rajya Sabha secretariat on July 30 and 31.
Of the lot that kept themselves out, around 27 MPs were from BJP. Only two of seven AAP MPs showed up. The JD(U) had two attendees, Congress had one, while three Left MPs elected to the Upper House since 2021 were in attendance. Among nominated MPs, only sprint legend P T Usha attended the session on both days.
The orientation programme is organised by Rajya Sabha secretariat once every two years to acquaint newly-minted MPs with parliamentary procedures. Veteran parliamentarians are roped in to hold sessions.
This year, Union minister Bhupender Yadav explained the nuances of the law-making process and urged members to use opportunities in a judicious way. BJP’s Sushil Kumar Modi explained the significance of question hour, urging members not to disrupt it given its importance in ensuring the oversight function of the House. He also said disruption of question hour benefits the government.
Congress veterans Abhishek Singhvi and Jairam Ramesh spoke on parliamentary privileges and the relevance and formation of the council of states, respectively. Ramesh described the provision of nominating 12 members to Rajya Sabha as a unique feature and added that of the 143 members nominated to the Upper House so far, 28 later joined political parties. He said 16 joined Congress and 12 joined the BJP, noting in a lighter vein that this is one of the “few negative things” in which the Congress showed the way to BJP.
TMC MP Derek O' Brien held an interactive session by dividing members into five teams. NCP MP Vandana Chavan, on the other hand, held forth on the committee system in Rajya Sabha, explaining how they function.