By IANS,
New Delhi : The Rajya Sabha is mulling a rule change that will prevent a question from lapsing if the MP who posed it is not present in the house when it comes up.
“This situation is being addressed,” Rajya Sabha chairman Hamid Ansari said when two questions he called could not be taken up as the MPs who had asked them played truant.
Under the rule change being considered, if an MP is not present in the house when his question comes up, it will become the property of the house and any other member can pose it, an official said.
Under the present rule, the question lapses if the MP who posed it is absent.
During the current session of the Rajya Sabha, which began Nov 19 and will conclude Dec 21, at least two to three questions have been lapsing daily due to the absence of the MPs concerned.
The malaise affects the Lok Sabha too. Last Monday, 34 MPs with questions listed against their names were not present in the house, forcing the virtual collapse of question hour.