There were less than 50 lawmakers in the Lok Sabha, fewer than the mandatory 10 per cent strength. (File Photo)
Highlights
- The "quorum bell" of the Lok Sabha rang in reminder of low attendance
- Quorum is 10 per cent of the total strength - 55 in the 545-member House
- House was briefly adjourned as fewer than 50 lawmakers were present
For 10 minutes on Friday evening, the shrill "quorum bell" of the Lok Sabha rang in a reminder that there were not even the bare minimum MPs needed in the House to hold proceedings.
Quorum is ten per cent of the total strength of the House, 55 lawmakers in the 545-member Lok Sabha.
At 4 pm, the House was to resume to take up private member bills.
A long heated debate on the AgustaWestland deal had ended at about 3 pm and the lawmakers were to return after an hour-long break. Not many did.
And the quorum bell kept ringing in a signal that many times the indifference of MPs and not differences between political parties stall Parliamentary proceedings, which cost the taxpayer a minute.
Among the less than 50 MPs inside the house at the time were a few ministers including Gen V K Singh, Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Rajyavardhan Rathore.
Of the ruling BJP's over 280 MPs just about 10 per cent were present. From the media gallery one could see Dushyant Kumar, Anurag Thakur, Nishikant Dubey in the Treasury Benches.
MPs like Supriya Sule of the Nationalist Congress Party and Dharmendra Yadav of the Samajwadi Party occupied a few seats on the Opposition side.
Arjun Meghwal, the BJP's floor manager in Lok Sabha rushed to the Central Hall where lawmakers spend time during breaks, but found hardly any Lok Sabha members there.
"Mr Meghwal if there is a shortage, then I can come," quipped Neeraj Shekhar, a Rajya Sabha member from the Samajwadi Party. Mr Meghwal was too flustered to respond.
Sources say messages were shot off to BJP lawmakers on the party WhatsApp group to immediately drop everything and come to the House.
"I have an engagement tomorrow morning in my constituency. The last flight for me is at 7 pm. I had got inside the car to leave Parliament and returned only to make quorum," said a BJP lawmaker.
After a full 10 minutes, Anandrao Vithoba Adsul of the Shiv Sena, in the Speaker's Chair, had no choice but to adjourn the House. A few MPs then began to arrive and eventually quorum was built and the House resumed.