Top Lok Sabha performers failed to get re-elected: Report

New Delhi, Dec 21 (PTI) Some MPs who were found to be top performers in the last Lok Sabha failed to get re-elected in the current House.

According to a report prepared by the National Social Watch, five of the top ten performers in the 14th Lok Sabha could not get themselves re-elected in the 15th Lok Sabha.

The Citizens'' Report on Governance and Development 2010 also found that there was a decline in the number of bills passed and also in participation in discussion by MPs in 2009 while there is a dramatic increase in the wealth of MPs since 2004.

MPs'' performances were examined on the basis of their attendance, participation during the debates, the number of questions asked and the number of private members'' bills proposed in the House.

C K Chandrappan, the former CPI MP from Trichur, was adjudged the top performer by the National Social Watch, an NGO. However he could not be re-elected to the 15th Lok Sabha.

Similarly, Pandharpur MP Ramdas Athawale (RPI), Puri MP Braja Kishore Tripathy (BJD), Palani MP S Kuppusamy Kharventhan (Cong) and Ferozabad MP Ramjilal Suman (SP) who were found to be top performers in the last Lok Sabha, were not elected to the new Lok Sabha.

However, other top performers including CPI(M) MP Basudev Acharia from Bankura, Shiv Sena MP Anandrao Adsul from Buldhana, SP MP Shailendra Kumar from Chail and BJP MP Hansraj Gangaram Ahir from Chandrapur were re-elected to the 15th Lok Sabha.

The report also noted that most of the top performers are hardly ever in national news networks.

Releasing the report, Urban Development Minister Jaipal Reddy said, "there is a need to look at the performances of the media as it also plays an important role in the functioning of democracy."

Reddy, who was adjudged the best parliamentarian in 1998, said, "media should report the solid speech made by the MPs in the House instead of carrying out sensational statements only. Because those whose speeches are reported get noticed."

Asked how top performers in the House failed to get re-elected, Reddy said "It happens because those who take up matters in the House, participate in the discussion on bills...this was not reported in the media. Media should report their speeches in Parliament." PTI ARU

 

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