Cong MLAs draw flak for marking attendance

Congress legislators on Thursday drew flak from the treasury benches for marking their attendance during the ongoing budget session while staying absent from the House.

Congress legislators on Thursday drew flak from the treasury benches for marking their attendance during the ongoing budget session while staying absent from the House.

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"When they are not attending the House, why are they marking themselves present? It looks as if they are doing so only to claim their daily allowances. This is unethical," said members of the treasury benches.

As soon as the House assembled after a one-hour adjournment, Punjab parliamentary affairs minister Madan Mohan Mittal asked deputy speaker Dinesh Singh to call speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal in the House as he had to take up two very important issues.

Mittal wanted to know the fate of the motion he had moved on March 18 to condemn the mock session being organised by Congress legislators outside the House, terming it a violation of rules and regulations of the House. However, the motion could not be put to vote as the speaker was trying hard to break the logjam with members of the Opposition.

Mittal repeatedly requested the deputy speaker to call the speaker so that the issue of Congress MLAs showing "disrespect" to the House could be taken up. "This is a very serious issue and I also want to know what has happened to the motion I moved earlier," said Mittal.

Mittal stood up once more to know the fate of his motion and again condemned the mock session in the strongest words.