Member of the Rajya Sabha (Upper House) and former Minister of State for External Affairs of India, veteran author-journalist M. J. Akbar met with Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner in India Milinda Moragoda at the latter’s official residence in New Delhi.
The two exchanged ideas and thoughts on India-Sri Lanka relations. High Commissioner Moragoda also briefed Rajya Sabha MP Akbar on the current economic and political developments in Sri Lanka. Deputy High Commissioner Niluka Kadurugamuwa was also present at the meeting.
The Rajya Sabha has a maximum membership of 245, of which 233 are elected by the legislatures of the states and union territories using single transferable votes through open ballots, while the President can appoint 12 members for their contributions to art, literature, science, and social services.
Rajya Sabha members meet in continuous sessions, and unlike the Lok Sabha, being the lower house of the Indian Parliament, the Rajya Sabha is not subjected to dissolution.
The ruling party BJP has 301 members in the Lok Sabha, but none of them is Muslim except the three incumbent Rajya Sabha MPs — M. J. Akbar, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, and Syed Zafar Islam.
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