New Delhi: Rajya Sabha, the upper house of Indian parliament, today expressed its concern over the continuing absence of former Test cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and Bollywood actress Rekha from the house.
Both Sachin Tendulkar and Rekha had been nominated to parliament's upper house in recognition of their splendid work in their respective fields.
The issue was raised once again by P Rajiv of CPM who drew the chair's attention towards their continuing absence and wanted to know if it was in violation of constitutional provisions.
The deputy chairman P J Kurien, however,said that despite their continued absence from the Rajya Sabha, cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and actor Rekha have not violated any rule.
According to Kurien, both the members have not been absent for more than 60 days and, therefore, have not violated any rule.
"As per the rules (Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business), if a member is absent from meetings of either house of parliament without permission for a period of 60 days, the house may declare his/her seat vacant," said Kurien.
"The absence of Tendulkar is around 40 days at present and that of Rekha is less than that. In both the cases, there has been no violation of the provisions," he added.
Both the members were nominated to the Rajya Sabha in April 2012. While Tendulkar has attended just three sittings so far, Rekha has been present at seven.
Tendulkar has not attended a single meeting this year -- his last appearance being on Dec 13, 2013, informed Kurien. Rekha last attended the house on Feb 19, 2014.
It should be recalled that the nomination of celebrities like Sachin and Rekha to the upper house has been often questioned on the ground that they do not find time from their busy schedules to participate in the proceedings of the house.
