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Tainted MPs back in House, but kept out of panels
More than six months have passed since Congress MP Suresh Kalmadi — an accused in the CWG scam — is out of judicial custody on bail and has started attending Parliament sessions regularly.
More than six months have passed since Congress MP Suresh Kalmadi — an accused in the CWG scam — is out of judicial custody on bail and has started attending Parliament sessions regularly. His colleague, 2G scam-tainted former telecom minister A Raja too, has come out of jail and attends parliament proceedings.
But both of them are yet to find a place in a parliamentary standing committee.
Kalmadi was earlier a member of the parliamentary panel on human resource development. But he was dropped after CBI arrested him. Raja was earlier a minister, but after he lost his cabinet berth in November 2010, he couldn’t find a slot in any panel.
Some vacancies in the standing committees will also be filled up in the next few days. But scam-tainted MPs may have to wait longer to find their slots. Lok Sabha secretary general TK Vishwanathan told HT, “There was a decision at the top level not to accommodate chargesheeted Lok Sabha MPs in standing committees. We are still following that decision.”
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress is nominating two of its members to replace Sudip Bandopadhyay who left standing committee on finance and consultative committee on defence after becoming MoS (health). Dinesh Trivedi — the railways minister who resigned after presenting the rail budget — also got accommodated in the standing committee on transport, tourism and culture.
Independent MP Madhu Koda, an accused in the assets case and currently in a Ranchi jail, has also been stripped of any role in standing committees which review bills and issues and gives its recommendations to Parliament.
Even as Raja is yet to get a slot in a standing committee, his colleague and 2G scam accused Kanimozhi has been allotted a seat in the panel on HRD since August 2011.
Sources said many MPs have voluntarily opted out of membership of standing panels and there is no rule for mandatory slot for MPs in a committee.
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