MPs missing from Lok Sabha

The 15th Lok Sabha may have a lot of new blood but they haven't gotten over some old bad habits. The Lower House of Parliament had to be adjourned on Friday as there were no MPs in the House to discuss a private member's bill.

Lok Sabha was debating the all-important Right to Education Bill on Friday -- an issue that can change the lives of thousands of school going children. But hardly 100 MPs bothered to join in.

The issue of absenteeism in Parliament even has Congress president Sonia Gandhi worried who said that it has become increasingly difficult to mobilise all the members on crucial occasions in Parliament.

A day after Sonia Gandhi advised her MPs to present for all important debates, at 3pm, the treasury benches had 55 MPs -- a shade better that Opposition's 51.

It has now become a tradition. Every Friday, most Lok Sabha MPs do not attend the second half. And their excuse -- they have to visit their constituencies.

But Rajya Sabha's Monday record was no better. On July 20, a Monday, when the Right to Education was passed only 54 MPs were present in all.

But when NDTV checked the Lok Sabha records, it found out that attendance is rather good, at least on paper the.

On June , the first day of the new Lok Sabha, 422 MPs signed in. A day later, the number was 440. And on an average, 400 MPs attended Lok Sabha every day.

In the first week of the current session too, more than 400 MPs signed in.

Sources say this is because most MPs sign in and attend the first half to collect their allowance - Rs 1000. But many don't bother to stay on.

"Some MPs come here to enjoy whereas Parliamentary responsibility is very important," said CPM MP, M B Rajesh.

New MPs should first perhaps take lesson from the last Lok Sabha, which was undoubtedly marked by the maximum number of disruptions. This time, more than half of the old timers did not manage a win.