'SC/ST MPs need more speaking time in Parliament': NDA ally Jitan Ram Manjhi

NEW DELHI: Union minister and NDA ally Jitan Ram Manjhi has written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, backing a BJP MP’s request for adequate speaking time for MPs from the Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities during parliamentary discussions on important bills.In his letter, Manjhi said BJP MP Gajendra Singh Patel, who represents Khargone in Madhya Pradesh, had raised the issue during an “NDA MPs Group Dialogue Meeting” held at Manjhi’s Delhi residence on August 5.Patel had specifically requested that SC/ST MPs be given sufficient opportunity to raise issues concerning their communities on the floor of the House, Manjhi said.The Union minister has asked the Speaker to take further action on Patel’s request and issue necessary directions to the concerned authorities.Speaking to PTI, Patel confirmed that he had raised the issue and said the time allocated to SC/ST MPs should be increased further, as the speaking time…