Several members in the Lok Sabha on Friday said that private members’ Bills should be taken up on Wednesdays instead of Fridays and added that time allotted for this should not be cut short unless there is an issue of national significance to be discussed in the House.
MP B. Mehtab (BJD) raised the demand that private members’ Bills be taken up on Wednesdays. Trinamool Congress MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay said such Bills have a special role in the House. “The private members’ Bills should be taken up on Wednesday,” he said.
N.K. Premachandran (RSP) said private members’ Bills should be given due importance. It has it own importance and significance. It has its own impact. The time from 3.30 p.m. to 6 p.m. should be confined for the purpose of the Private Members’ Bill, unless some extraordinary situation demands otherwise. Also, I fully support the suggestion that let it be on Wednesday. Most of the Members and even the Prime Minister will be here and it will be having its own importance, if it is on Wednesday.’’
Rajiv Ranjan Singh of JD(U) said that the members bring the bills after a lot of effort and research, and so they should either be taken up on Wednesday or any other week day as on Friday the members are in a hurry to go back to their constituencies.
Private members’ bills are brought in by members of Parliament who are not ministers. These bills are taken up only on Fridays.