Rekha's appearances in the Rajya Sabha have been rare
New Delhi:
The government's mission to collect support for the Goods and Services Tax (GST) bill in the Rajya Sabha hit a wall with one elusive member, Rekha.
For the GST Bill debate in the Rajya Sabha today, floor managers of the ruling BJP reportedly reached out not just to political parties but also to nominated members like cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and movie star Rekha.
Sources say they failed to contact Rekha, who joined the Rajya Sabha as a nominated member in 2012.
Senior ministers were seen today in parliament soliciting advice from Congress leaders on how to touch base with the 61-year-old actor.
Rekha and Sachin were nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the Congress-led UPA government which lost power in 2014. In the past four years, their poor attendance has made more headlines than anything they have said or done as parliamentarians.
Rekha attended the Budget session for the first time this year. Her blink and miss appearance failed to blunt criticism about celebrities not taking their role in parliament seriously.
Sachin Tendulkar's record is not much better and he was not seen when the house debated GST, but his vote came on Twitter.
The BJP had ordered full attendance in the house in a whip issued to party MPs.
For the GST Bill debate in the Rajya Sabha today, floor managers of the ruling BJP reportedly reached out not just to political parties but also to nominated members like cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and movie star Rekha.
Sources say they failed to contact Rekha, who joined the Rajya Sabha as a nominated member in 2012.
Senior ministers were seen today in parliament soliciting advice from Congress leaders on how to touch base with the 61-year-old actor.
Rekha and Sachin were nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the Congress-led UPA government which lost power in 2014. In the past four years, their poor attendance has made more headlines than anything they have said or done as parliamentarians.
Rekha attended the Budget session for the first time this year. Her blink and miss appearance failed to blunt criticism about celebrities not taking their role in parliament seriously.
Sachin Tendulkar's record is not much better and he was not seen when the house debated GST, but his vote came on Twitter.
GST, which creates one national tax to replace a mesh of levies that differ from state to state, was cleared by the Rajya Sabha this evening after days of hard negotiation.One nation one tax, making #GST a reality is just a matter of time! Look forward to #GST delivering the benefits.
— sachin tendulkar (@sachin_rt) August 2, 2016
The BJP had ordered full attendance in the house in a whip issued to party MPs.
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