PM to meet RS Parliamentarians to assign ‘specific roles’

Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 29

The feeling that Rajya Sabha members have an easier job cut out for than their Lok Sabha counterparts, at least those who are not the members of any Parliamentary committee or the council of ministers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appears to be now aiming to dispel.

In their meeting with Upper House MPs this Wednesday, the Prime Minister and BJP chief Amit Shah are expected to assign them specific duties in the party’s enhanced “garib kalyan agenda”, which formed the core of their last two interactions as well— one with the party’s state core groups and the other with BJP Chief Ministers.

BJP functionaries say the aim of the forthcoming meeting is to ascertain the best utilisation of Rajya Sabha members towards betterment of people, the government and the organisation — that is the party. “Rajya Sabha members have a duty towards people, the government and the party. The leadership believes they should be assigned clearly defined roles, including in the “garib kalyan” agenda, which should also form the basis of their future assessment of work” they explain.                     

Notably, while performance of Lok Sabha members can be assessed on deliverance in respective constituents and participation in Parliamentary debates, that of Rajya Sabha members remains mostly limited to their performance in the House.

The Prime Minister, the BJP functionaries say, wants to end some disparity. Apparently, his view is that Upper House members should also have clearly assigned tasks, which can utilise their experience for the benefit of the party and the government in a better way.

This can also form the basis of their appraisal

The meeting will also be attended by members of the BJP’s highest decision- making body — the Parliamentary Board — and the party general secretaries. Notably, the BJP-led government is not in a very strong position in the Upper House, which makes the meeting more significant.

The meeting is a part of the series that Shah and the Prime Minister are holding to improve coordination between the Centre and the States on various schemes run for poor people, farmers, women, youth, health and employment. BJP sources say appraisal-based meetings will now be an annual affair

Ahead of Assembly elections in key States like Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Punjab, the ruling party is going full force to establish and emphasise its “pro-poor” credentials. It has also constituted a high-level committee to formulate what it is calls as the “Garib Kalyan agenda”.