Nine MPs including 4 from Karnataka did not speak in LS in past 5 years

Digital Desk: In the last five years, the Lok Sabha convened for an impressive 1,354 hours, yet a concerning revelation emerges as nine Members of Parliament, including four from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Karnataka, remained conspicuously silent throughout this period. 

BN Bachegowda, Anant Kumar Hegde, V Srinivas Prasad, and Ramesh Jigajinagi are the Karnataka MPs in question, along with Shatrughan Sinha, Sunny Deol, Atul Rai, Pradan Baruah, and Dibyendu Adhikari.

Notably, three of these MPs neither posed questions nor submitted any matter for discussion, while the remaining six utilized parliamentary instruments in varying capacities. Jigajinagi, for instance, refrained from raising questions or participating in debates, contrasting with the other Karnataka MPs who engaged in some parliamentary activities.

However, Shatrughan Sinha, known for his cinematic dialogue delivery, and Atul Rai, incarcerated throughout his tenure, failed to contribute in any form. Surprisingly, six out of the nine MPs belong to the ruling BJP, while two hail from Trinamool Congress and one from BSP. Trinamool sources allege a BJP link for Dibyendu Adhikari through his father, MP Sisir Adhikari.

Although Adhikari, Bachegowda, Baruah, Deol, Hegde, and Prasad refrained from verbal contributions, some submitted questions or tabled submissions. Sources clarify that while Sunny Deol did not speak, he did participate by submitting written contributions during discussions.

Despite these silent voices, the Lok Sabha achieved significant legislative output, passing 222 bills and addressing 1,116 questions orally, with 5,568 issues raised during the Zero Hour, as per official statistics. The paradox of a few MPs remaining silent amid such parliamentary activity raises questions about the varied roles and responsibilities of elected representatives.