3 Union ministers’ absence irks Ansari
Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari on Monday expressed anguish after three Union ministers, to whom queries had been put during Question Hour, were found to be absent from the House.
The situation arose before the Question Hour was scheduled to end. Union minister Sanjeev Balyan answered questions relating to the water resources ministry and Mr Ansari moved to the next question. The questioner had sought to know from the ministry of shipping whether the government was launching a Yamuna Water Taxi Project. However, neither the member who had asked the question, nor the minister who was to answer it were present, provoking Mr Ansari to remark that this was an “extraordinary situation”. This situation forced several Opposition MPs to express displeasure.
As Mr Ansari took up the next question relating to the environment ministry, there was again no one from the ruling side to answer it. “This is the shape of the things to come,” came a remark from the Opposition benches as Congress leader Jairam Ramesh complained that there was not even a single Cabinet minister present in the House. Only ministers of state Nirmala Sitharaman, Ram Kirpal Yadav and Balyan were seen present.
Mr Ansari then moved to the next question relating to the power ministry, but this too could not be taken up as the concerned minister was not present to answer it.