BJP veteran Murli Manohar Joshi and Socialist leader Mohan Singh have been chosen for the Outstanding Parliamentarian Award for last two years. Dr Joshi is a siting member of Lok Sabha from Varanasi while Mr Singh is a former Member of Parliament and currently is the national spokesman of the Samajwadi Party.
An award committee, under the chairmanship of Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, considered nominations for the Awards for the years 2008 and 2009. It recommended Mr Mohan Singh and Dr Murli Manohar Joshi for Outstanding Parliamentarian Award for the years 2008 and 2009 respectively which was accepted by the executive committee:
The Indian Parliamentary Group, of which the Speaker is the president and the Rajya Sabha deputy-chairman and the Lok Sabha deputy-speaker are vice-presidents, is a body of Members of Parliament. The Indian Parliamentary Group has instituted Outstanding Parliamentarian Award to be given each year to a sitting Member of Parliament. The award will be presented at a function to be held during Monsoon Session of Parliament.
The two leaders have effectively used the parliamentary forum to raise the issues of people and of national importance above party lines. Dr Joshi has a long parliamentary career.
Mr Mohan Singh is the staunch Lohiatie and influenced by the veteran parliamentarian Madhu Limaye. His parliamentary career began in 1977 as a member of UP Assembly.