The 10 day monsoon session started on June 5 As many as 62 MLAs and 19 MLCs were absent on day one of the session On Friday too 34 MLAs and 11 MLCs remained absent Siddaramaiah has instructed chief whips of both Houses to ensure good attendance
For most, getting to work on a rainy day seems like an ordeal. One would rather spend the day curled up in bed over a book and a hot cuppa. However, the assiduous kick off the lethargy and get to work.
One would expect a similar diligence from our elected representatives -- at least during the legislature sessions, for which the government spends crores of rupees of tax payer’s money annually. It’s been five days since this year’s monsoon session started, and it looks like the legislators are in mood to be part of the proceedings.
The attendance has been so poor that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah himself decided to take stock of the situation on Friday, especially after a large number of his own party legislators failed to show up for the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting.
A livid Siddaramaiah is learnt to have pulled up party legislators for their lackadaisical attitude. Sources said that he has given strict instructions to the chief whips of both Houses to ensure that the legislators do not abstain themselves from the ongoing session at least for the remaining days. The session is on till June 16.
On day one of the session, the attendance was abysmally poor in the 224 member Legislative Assembly - as many as 62 MLAs had absented themselves! While on day two 29 MLAs were absent, the attendance had improved on day 3 (June 7), with only 10 members being absent. While on June 8, as many as 17 MLAs remained absent, on Friday (June 9), 34 MLAs stayed away from the session.
In the 73 member Legislative Council too the attendance was poor on the first day. As many as 19 MLCs had absented themselves. Though the attendance improved on June 6 (5 absent), June 7 (4 absent), and June 8 (5 absent); on Friday, as many as 11 MLCs remained absent.
