Modi asks ministers to be present in Parliament as per roster

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has often pulled up BJP MPs for absenteeism during Parliament sessions, on Tuesday cautioned Union ministers against skipping their roster duties in both the Houses and told the party leadership that he should be informed if they skip their duty, sources said.

Speaking at the BJP parliamentary party meeting, Modi also said that the ongoing session can be extended if it is necessary to pass the government's legislative agenda, the sources added.

The sources, however, added that extension of the session, which is scheduled to end on July 26, is not on the government's agenda as of now.

Asking ministers to stick to their roster duties, when they are meant to be present in one of the Houses as a government representative, Modi said they should carry out their work as assigned.

He has in the past often expressed his displeasure at MPs' absence from Parliament when it is in session.

In a briefing after the meeting, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi told reporters that Modi asked BJP MPs to nurse their constituencies by playing a leading role in its development and advised them to take up a cause of human sensitivity like eradication of leprosy or tuberculosis and water conservation.

First impression is often the last impression, Modi told the MPs, a large number of them first-timers, as he asked them to work passionately for the development of their areas.

He told parliamentarians that they should take up a social cause or an issue of human sensitivity as a "mission" apart from carrying out their duties as members of Parliament so that they are remembered for their work