Narendra Modi chairs BJP parliamentary party meet ahead of Parliament session, asks MPs to focus on constituencies, animal welfare

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s parliamentary party meeting on Tuesday directed MPs to focus on constituencies more. He also asked them to focus on animal welfare, take roster duties seriously, work for the constituency in innovative ways, and work on humanitarian issues with a mission. The saffron party’s meeting was held in the Parliament Library Building, and along with Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and other senior leaders of the party were also in attendance.

Delhi: BJP Parliamentary Party meeting underway at Parliament Library Building. pic.twitter.com/1lsbRL4g2U

— ANI (@ANI) July 16, 2019

Modi asked BJP MPs to nurse their constituency 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, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi told reporters. First impression is often the last impression, Modi told MPs, a large number of them first-timers, at the BJP parliamentary party meeting, sources said, as he asked them to work passionately for the development of their areas. Modi also asked Union ministers to carry out their Parliament roster duty, when they are meant to be present in one of the Houses as a government representative, and said he should be informed if they skip their duty, the sources said. He has in the past often expressed his displeasure at MPs’ absence from Parliament when it is in session and turned his attention to ministers on Tuesday, saying that attending Parliament is not only meant for MPs. Joshi in his briefing said that the prime minister 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. Modi spoke about disease like leprosy and TB and invoked Mahatma Gandhi. When asked to inaugurate a hospital for lepers, Gandhi had said that he would rather be invited to put a lock on it, Modi said, stressing on the need to eradicate the disease. Joshi said the prime minister also noted that India has fixed a dealine of 2025 for eradicating TB against the global deadline of 2030 and asked MPs to work for its removal. Modi also asked them to work with local authorities for their constituency’s development. He also referred to aspirational districts, an official term for underdeveloped districts, and asked the parliamentarians to coordinate with authorities to boost their progress. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, Minister of External Affairs, S Jaishankar, and Minister of State for External Affairs, V Muraleedharan were among the early leaders to arrive for the meeting. On 14 July, BJP had issued a notice to its Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs informing them about the meeting and asked them to ensure attendance. The meeting comes ahead of the beginning of day’s proceedings in the ongoing Monsoon Session of the Parliament. With inputs from PTI