PM Modi among those with highest attendance in Parliament, says Kiren Rijiju

New Delhi, July 20 (IANS) Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju said on Sunday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is one among those who have registered the highest attendance in Parliament, and he makes it a point to attend proceedings unless he is visiting a state to attend an important event or is abroad.

Addressing mediapersons after chairing an all-party meeting on Sunday, as part of preparations ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, the Minister hit out at the Opposition parties’ attempt to create an unnecessary controversy over PM Modi’s presence during proceedings.

“Seeking the presence of PM Modi in the House at all times, that too against the conventions, is unfair,” he said, slamming an attempt to target the former while ignoring the established system for proceedings.

Rijiju said, “Whenever there are questions taken up during Question Hour related to PM Modi’s ministry, he is there. He has not missed the proceedings even once.”

“In the House, the Cabinet functions on the basis of collective responsibility. The Cabinet minister concerned is always present in the House during Question Hour,” he said.

As per the convention, the Minister related to the department on which a question is asked remains present in the House, and in addition to that, at least one Cabinet Minister and two Ministers of State are always present in the Parliament, he said.

Earlier, he said that the government is fully prepared to discuss important national matters and pending legislation in Parliament’s Monsoon Session as per rules and convention.

After chairing the all-party meeting on the eve of the session, he said the government wants the Opposition to contribute to the smooth functioning of both Houses.

Rijiju said, “Leaders from all parties shared their priorities and we noted them. The government suggested proper coordination between treasury benches and the Opposition.”

Speaking to reporters outside the Main Committee Room of the Parliament House Annexe, Rijiju said, “Smooth functioning of Parliament is a collective responsibility of both the government and the Opposition.”

Members of smaller parties who do not get enough time to speak in the House raised a concern, and "we will try to find a solution to their issues", he said.

The pre-session meeting was aimed at fostering cooperation and coordination among all political parties to ensure the smooth and productive functioning of both Houses, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, during the upcoming session.

During the meeting attended by 51 floor leaders of all major political parties, the government presented its legislative agenda and sought consensus on key issues to be discussed in the session.

According to official sources, the Monsoon Session will run from July 21 to August 21, and will include 21 sittings. No sittings have been scheduled between August 12 and August 18.

Addressing the media earlier, Minister Rijiju said that the government is fully prepared to discuss important national matters and pending legislation.

"Parliament is about to begin. Whatever issue comes up in Parliament, we will listen to it. Yesterday I had a very good meeting with Kharge ji and Rahul ji. I keep having regular meetings with leaders of other opposition parties. Being a parliamentary minister, it is my responsibility to maintain coordination with everyone," he said.

Among the critical bills likely to be taken up during this session are the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2025, the National Sports Governance Bill, 2025, and the Merchant Shipping Bill, 2024.

--IANS

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