What a unity!

Congress, BJP MPs join hands on salary hike issue

Published: Monday, Aug 16, 2010, 16:21 IST 
Place: New Delhi | Agency: PTI

Congress and BJP MPs today joined hands in demanding a hike in their salaries after the Union cabinet today deferred a decision on it in view of lack of consensus.

"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 member Rajiv Shukla told reporters outside Parliament.

He said it is "extremely essential" to increase the salaries of MPs.

In the same vein, BJP leader SS Ahluwalia said, "You must understand problems of MPs".

Both Shukla and Ahluwalia are members of the committee headed by Congress MP from Chhattishgarh Charandas Mahant, which made a recommendation to fix MPs salary One rupee more
than that of a secretary at Rs 80001.

However, the parliamentary affairs ministry suggested raising it to Rs 50,000.

The cabinet, which today took up the issue, however, deferred a decision on it.

Members of the cabinet felt that raising MPs' emoluments at this stage in the wake of allegations of corruption in Commonwealth Games and the drought situation in some parts of the country would be seen in bad light, sources in government said.

MPs currently get Rs 16,000 per month as salary while a secretary to the government gets Rs 80,000 a month. The proposal is to hike the salary to Rs 50,000. (DNA)

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Citizen really wishes that these MPs show the same unity and zeal for the cause of the people!

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