Shashi Tharoor slams govt after private members' business 'scrubbed' from Lok Sabha

Shashi Tharoor. File Pic

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor slammed the Centre over private members' business "scrubbed" from the Lok Sabha's revised list of business on Friday and wondered whether Parliament exists only for the government to pursue its own agenda.

Tharoor pointed out that there has been no private members' business in the Lok Sabha since July 2024.

"I was ready to introduce three Private Members' Bills today on important national issues. MPs are normally given opportunities every other Friday to introduce their Bills when Parliament is in session. But yet again, the item for private members' business was scrubbed from the Lok Sabha's revised list of business today, the Friday when it was due," the Congress MP from Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram said in a post on X.

There has been no private members' business in the Lok Sabha since July 2024, he pointed out.

"Does Parliament exist only for the government to pursue its own agenda?" the former Union minister asked.

In July last year, Tharoor introduced a private member's bill seeking to reserve 10 seats in the Lok Sabha for those below 35 years of age, asserting that young members are a clear minority in Parliament and this is leading to a "democratic deficit".

Tharoor also introduced a private member's bill on Friday, proposing a 1-per cent reservation for transgender people across categories in government establishments, including educational institutions.

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