The Lok Sabha Speaker said that the Question Hour was important, not the meeting, when the Defense Ministry said the minister had gone to attend the meeting. | Photo credit: ANI
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Wednesday (March 18, 2026) expressed displeasure over the absence of a senior minister during question hour when questions were asked about his ministry.
Although the spokesperson did not name anyone, the question was about the postal department, which comes under Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.
“Where has the minister gone,” asked Mr. Birla when Communications Minister Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani asked the question.
When the MD replied that the chief minister had gone to an “important meeting”, Mr Birla said, “Question hour is important, not the meeting.”
Earlier, Mr. Birla had urged members not to talk among themselves when the House was dealing with obituaries.
Tributes were paid to former member Kavuru Sambasiva Rao, who died last week, as soon as the House was sitting. The members stood in silence for a moment as a mark of respect.
Soon after mentioning the obituary, a distressed Mr. Birla told the members that it was not good practice to talk to each other when the House was paying tribute to members who had died.
Published – 18 March 2026 22:06 IST
