New Delhi, August 16: It is a field day for cartoonists the minute the salary of MPs is hiked. But the MPs argue that they are paid much less than a government secretary and, worse, they are being paid less than a clerk.
The issue of salary hike for MPs was discussed at the Union Cabinet meet tonight but the decision was put on hold “in view of lack of consensus”.
According to sources, the MPs demand at least Re 1 more than a government secretary who now draws Rs 80,000 as monthly salary. The MPs’ argument is that from Rs 9,000, the secretaries’ salary zoomed to Rs 80,000 but the MP’s salary went from Rs 4,000 to Rs 16,000. And, on top of it, being an MP is not a permanent job like the government servant’s, they elaborate.
The Congress and BJP MPs are united in this demand. “The salary of Indian MPs is the lowest in the world. They are being paid less than a clerk in the government. MPs are above the secretaries and look at the difference in their salaries," Congress MP Rajiv Shukla said outside Parliament.
BJP leader S S Ahluwalia and Shukla are members of the Joint Parliamentary Committee headed by Chhattisgarh Congress MP Charandas Mahant which recommended that MPs’ salary be Re 1 more than that of a secretary.
However, the Parliamentary Affairs Ministry is ready for raising it to Rs 50,000 and not more and, hence, the Cabinet deferred the decision today.
The present economic condition of the country and the corruption allegations in the Commonwealth Games are not conducive to raise MPs’ salary, feels the Cabinet.
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