NEW ROLE

? Amit Shah’s presence in Parliament would be a morale booster for BJP members ? Shah has already clarified that even after becoming an MP, he will continue to be at the helm of the party ? There is no question of him joining the Union Cabinet, which is likely  to be expanded shortly

NEW DELHI (TIP): As BJP president Amit Shah gears up for his Rajya Sabha debut, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is believed to have cautioned party MPs who do not like to spend much time participating in proceedings of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha that their days of leisure are now over.

Addressing a parliamentary party meeting where he also praised Shah for completing three successful years as the party chief and bringing back the culture of hard work witnessed during Jan Sangh days, the PM is believed to have told the BJP lawmakers that he had said enough on the issue.

Now that Shah would be there in the Rajya Sabha, the days of leisure are over, sources quoted him as saying at the meeting—the last for the ongoing Monsoon Session that saw the government face an embarrassing situation when a united Opposition pushed through changes to a Constitution Amendment Bill on backward classes.

Sources said the words should act as a warning for habitual abstainers to get their act together. “We have asked you multiple times to be present in Parliament. Still some MPs remain absent. What do you think of yourselves…..You are nobody, I am nobody, it is the BJP that’s important,” is what the Prime Minister apparently told the MPs.

Notably, this is not the first time he has expressed anger over BJP members skipping Parliament proceedings, particularly in the Rajya Sabha where the collective NDA still lacks the numbers despite the BJP individually having overtaken the Congress there.

Shah had also made his displeasure known at the last meeting, which he conducted in the absence of the PM who was touring that day. He also made his displeasure known to the “missing MPs”, some of whom had gone to the airport last night to receive him there, sources say, predicting a sharp spike in Rajya Sabha’ attendance with Shah’s presence in the Rajya Sabha, which will now be conducted by senior BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu.

Source: The Tribune