In the concluding part of our series, we assess the performance of the members of parliament from Jammu. BJP had won both seats in Jammu and also Ladakh parliamentary seat in 2014. Both MPs Jugal Kishore and Thupstan Chhewang have taken their role very seriously by recording an above average attendance. While the national average is 80 per cent, both MPs have 90 per cent attendance. Compared to the PDP MPs from Kashmir, this is an outstanding record. Muzzaffar Hussain Baig’s attendance is only 11 per cent.
Jugal Kishore has participated in 89 debates in the parliament and asked 273 questions so far. This is not only much better than the national record, it shows how poorly the parliamentarians representing the valley have fared. The combined participation of the three PDP MPs in parliamentary debates is 16 which is one-fifth of participation done by Jugal Kishore.
Thupstan Chhewang has participated in 20 debates compared to the three by Muzzaffar Hussain Baig, four by Tariq Karra and nine by Mehbooba Mufti. He also raised 31 questions which is much less than the national average of 285, but much more than the number of questions raised by his counterparts from Kashmir.
Combining the three indicators of performance, attendance, participation in debates and seeking information as questions, into an index, the average score of the two Jammu MPs is a healthy 75.8 out of 100. This, when compared to the 13.9 out of 100 for PDP MPs, shows the failure of representation for the Valley.
Jitendra Singh being a minister cannot be assessed on the basis of these criteria. Hence he is excluded.