New Delhi: Actor-politicians Sunny Deol and Shatrughan Sinha along with seven other MPs remained silent throughout the five years of the 17th Lok Sabha that adjourned on February 9, 2024, records have revealed.

Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) Deol, a first-time MP representing Gurdaspur, did submit some written materials during the five-year period. However, Sinha, who belongs to the Trinamool Congress (TMC), did not contribute through either verbal or written communication.

The 17th Lok Sabha's first session began on June 17, 2019, following the general election in May that year.

Among the 543 MPs, only nine abstained from participating in any Lok Sabha debate or discussion over the five years. The list comprises six from the ruling BJP, two from the TMC, and one from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

The MPs in question are Ramesh Chandappa Jigajinagi (Bijapur SC, Karnataka), currently jailed Atul Kumar Singh (Ghosi, UP), Dibyendu Adhikari (Tamluk, West Bengal), B.N. Bachegowda (Chikkaballapur, Karnataka), Pradhan Baruah (Lakhimpur, Assam), Sunny Deol (Gurdaspur, Punjab), Anant Kumar Hegde (Uttara Kannada, Karnataka), V Sreenivasa Prasad (Chamarajanagar SC, Karnataka), and Shatrughan Sinha (Asansol, West Bengal), the Tribune reported.

While six of the nine MPs made written contributions, Sinha, Singh, and Chandappa had no participation in either written or oral forms, the report said.

Efforts were made by Speaker Om Birla to encourage participation from first-time MPs, including Sunny Deol, who was called twice to make a speech according to the report. However, these attempts did not yield a response from the mum members.

The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.