Modi warns absentee MPs, again. Will it work this time?
PM Narendra Modi has a word of caution for absentee MPs in Parliament: "You keep doing what you want to. I will do what I have to in 2019." This comes after the ruling NDA couldn't get a crucial bill cleared in the Rajya Sabha due to lack of party MPs; 31 NDA MPs, including Nirmala Sitharaman, Suresh Prabhu and Smriti Irani, were absent.
A major embarrassment for the BJP due to absent MPs
On July 31, the parliament was to take up the Constitution (123rd Amendment) Bill, 2017. But the absence of 31 MPs meant the opposition could move amendments to the bill, which succeeded with 75 votes and 54 against. The BJP also couldn't get a clause passed due to lack of a two-thirds vote. This, despite the NDA having a total strength of 89.
Absenteeism might not get you renominated in 2019, Modi warns
At the last parliamentary meeting, Modi warned against such behavior, saying renomination will be based on performance reviews. "You and I don't count, the party does," he reportedly said. This isn't the first time he warned MPs over absenteeism. In March, he had told them he would strictly monitor their attendance. However, things don't seem to have improved yet.
Will Amit Shah be able to do what Modi couldn't?
Sources say party leaders expect Amit Shah's nomination to the Rajya Sabha to help with BJP's absentee problem. Known as the architect of BJP's splendid political wins, Shah had taken BJP MPs to task after the parliament debacle on the Constitution (123rd Amendment) Bill, 2017. "Amit Shah is now here. Your leisure time is over," Modi reportedly told the MPs.
