As a new member (of Parliament) you will also be instructed in the details of what is expected from you as a backbencher…. It will be made clear to you that your role in the decision-making process is to raise your hand when you are told to and to occupy your seat in the house when it is required.
That's what you've got to be to be an MP: a problem solver. How can I help you? How can I engage? What do you need?
The pressures of being an MP mean free time is a very rare luxury.
It is the duty of any member of Parliament to create jobs in his riding [district.]
I have toured my constituency maximum number of times as a member of the Lok Sabha among the MPs from Madhya Pradesh.
When I entered federal parliament at the end of 2007, I was appointed parliamentary secretary for disabilities.
If you've got no base, it's very difficult to function as an MP. You cannot be a 'virtual' MP, you must be a proper one.
I agree with the Speaker and have concluded that my other activities do not permit me to devote the time that membership of the Lords properly requires.
