BJP's SC/ST MPs Took Part in Fewer Debates Than Own Party Colleagues From Non-Reserved Seats: Report

New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs elected from constituencies reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) constituencies have taken part in fewer debates than the House average and also as compared to their own party colleagues from non-reserved seats, reported The Hindu.

An analysis by the newspaper of the PRS Legislative Research’s MP Track data, from June 24, 2024, to August 23, 2026 has revealed that 24 BJP MPs – excluding ministers – from SC seats averaged 14.67 debates and 22 MPs from ST seats averaged 13.05 debates.

Collectively, the 46 MPs averaged 13.89, against 21.53 for all 483 sitting MPs. Party colleagues from other seats did more. The 145 BJP MPs outside SC and ST seats averaged 19.68, reported The Hindu.

The revelation comes days after Union minister Jitan Ram Manjhi wrote to Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla asking for more floor time for SC and ST MPs from the ruling BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) coalition.

The Hindu’s analysis revealed that across all other parties, SC MPs from reserved seats averaged 18.22 debates compared with 22.15 for others, while ST-seat MPs averaged 17.67 against 21.91.

The SC MPs of Congress who are elected from reserved seats averaging 19 against 23.38 for party peers. Congress MPs from ST seats averaged 24.42, above the 22.22 of their peers.

Earlier, in his letter dated September 16, Manjhi had said that BJP Lok Sabha MP Gajendra Singh Patel, who represents Khargone, a reserved tribal constituency in Madhya Pradesh, had stated in a meeting of NDA parliamentarians that MPs from SC/ST communities were not being given adequate time to speak during discussions on important Bills in Parliament.

Manjhi had urged speaker Birla to take steps to rectify the situation.

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