Despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s insistence on regular attendance of BJP MPs in Parliament, two of his Ministers — Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Tourism Minister KJ Alphons — were found absent when their names were called out to lay the papers listed against their names, prompting Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu to express his displeasure in no uncertain terms.
“I will like to advise the Parliamentary Affairs Minister to see that Ministers who are supposed to lay papers on the Table of the House are in the House on time,” Naidu said on Wednesday.
“If some Ministers have other engagements, they should not list papers against their names. If they (Ministers) have any problem, they should not give their names. It can be done subsequently. Please take note of it and convey it to the Ministers,” the Chairman said.
Pradhan’s name was on the top of the list of Ministers who were to lay the papers relating to their ministries in the Rajya Sabha. However, he was not present when his name was called to lay the papers such as copies of rules for payment of subsidies under Aadhaar Act and the annual reports of PSUs under his Ministry, including Indian Oil Corp, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum.
Tourism Minister Alphons too was absent when his name was called to lay copies of annual reports of institutes under his Ministry.
While Alphons came in a few minutes after his name was called, Pradhan was absent even when his name was called the second time to present a statement regarding the status of implementation of recommendations contained in a standing committee report on ethanol blended petrol and bio-diesel policy.
When Pradhan finally entered the House, Naidu called him to present the first set of papers, but he was not called to make his statement on a standing committee report relating to his Ministry.