SUMAN K SHRIVASTAVA
Ranchi, Nov. 18: The selection of three-term Congress MLA Ramchandra Singh for the ‘Best MLA’ award has surprised many in Jharkhand.
Singh, also Chairman of the House Ethics Committee, is not known for actively participating in legislative and budgetary debates which may reflect his contribution to the legislative business in the House.
“I have not witnessed him participating in the legislative business actively,” pointed out an MLA.
“He has been given the award apparently for maintaining silence in the House,” mused Saryu Roy, an Independent MLA well-versed in the legislative business.
Singh will be honoured with this award on November 22 on the foundation day of the Assembly. Earlier with the RJD, he was elected from the Manika Assembly constituency in 2019 on the Congress ticket.
The selection committee consisted of Speaker Rabindranath Mahto, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Alamgir Alam, JMM MLA Stephen Marandi, Anglo-Indian representative Glenn Joseph Gaulsten, NCP MLA Kamlesh Singh, and journalist Anand Mohan.
“It is a lifetime achievement award for an MLA. Earlier, the committee assessed an MLA on the criteria prescribed in the Assembly rules. I don’t think the rules have been taken into view while selecting Singh,” pointed out a legislator, requesting anonymity.
“His only qualification is that he remains silent and does not go into the well or disturb the House,” he pointed out.
The MLA went on to say that the award had been declared apparently after seeing the party and atmosphere. “JMM MLA Mathura Mahto or AJSU chief Sudesh Mahto would have been a better choice,” he maintained.
Under the rules adopted by the Assembly, an MLA is assessed on several criteria which would include the latter’s experience, conduct in the House and how active they are in their constituencies, among other factors.
The criteria for the award also include debating skills, awareness about public issues, seriousness and diversity of the issues raised by him, the way of raising any issue, knowledge about legislative rules and process, knowledge and following them in and outside the Assembly, achievements of working in House committees, Conduct in and outside House, views on established tradition and customs of the House, regular presence in the House, efforts to end stalemate in House, Tolerance to other parties, Quality of questions raised in the House etc.
“The purpose of the award was to encourage legislators to actively participate in the legislative business “with dignity”. While political differences are obvious, it is equally important how differences are expressed inside the House. The purpose has been defeated, pointed out an ex-MLA.
The previous recipients
- Bishweshar Khan
- Hemlal Murmu
- Rajendra Prasad Singh
- Loknath Mahto
- Annapurna Devi
- Radha Krishna Kishore
- PN Singh
- Inder Singh Namdhari
- Janardan Paswan
- Madhavlal Singh
- Raghubar Das
- Lobin Hembrom
- Pradeep Yadav
- Stephen Marandi
- Bimla Pradhan
- Menka Sardar
- Nalin Soren
- Ramchandra Chandravanshi
- Vinod Singh
