Advertisement

Help
You are here: Rediff Home » India » News » Report
Search:  Rediff.com The Web
Advertisement
   Discuss   |      Email   |      Print | Get latest news on your desktop

Govinda present only for 37/303 Parliament sittings
A Special Correspondent in Mumbai
Related Articles
The Magic Number: UPA needs 15 more votes
Get news updates:What's this?
Advertisement
July 16, 2008 11:51 IST
With his movie career now in resurrection, actor Govinda's [Images] duties as a member of Parliament appears to be on a simultaneous decline.

"Of the 303 sittings of Parliament since May 2004, he has only attended 37 sittings," says Ram Naik, the former Bharatiya Janata Party MP who Govinda defeated in the 2004 Lok Sabha election.

This year, the actor was present for only one of the 27 sittings during the Budget session of Parliament, says Naik.

"In his four years as MP, Mr Govinda has only spoken twice in the Lok Sabha -- on May 10 and 11, 2005. For two minutes on May 10 and for two minutes during zero hour on May 11," says Naik, a five time MP from the Mumbai North constituency till Govinda brought an end to that dream run in the last general election.

There is a provision in the Constitution that if a member of Parliament is absent for 20 days without prior consent, he will be disqualified as an MP. "But that care has being taken by his chief whip that when he was completing those (20) days, he was told to come and sign," charges Naik.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi has reportedly asked Govinda to be present in Parliament for the trust vote on July 22 though the actor is scheduled to travel abroad to shoot a film the same day.



 Email  |    Print   |   Get latest news on your desktop

© 2008 Rediff.com India Limited. All Rights Reserved. Disclaimer | Feedback