Amarinder, Dr Gandhi oppose MPs’ pay hike; Fatehgarh Sahib MP differs : The Tribune India

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Amarinder, Dr Gandhi oppose MPs’ pay hike; Fatehgarh Sahib MP differs

PATIALA: Two Punjab MPs from Punjab have opposed the salary hike for their colleagues claiming that the situation at this stage was not favourable for burdening the exchequer.

Amarinder, Dr Gandhi oppose MPs’ pay hike; Fatehgarh Sahib MP differs

Capt Amarinder Singh, Cong Leader and (Right) Dr Dharamvira Gandhi, Patiala MP



Tribune News Service

Patiala, July 5

Two Punjab MPs from Punjab have opposed the salary hike for their colleagues claiming that the situation at this stage was not favourable for burdening the exchequer.

But Fatehgarh Sahib MP has differed with them and claimed that the hike was justified.

Deputy Leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha Captain Amarinder Singh has made it clear that “the recent decision for a hike in salary for parliamentarians” was unjustified at this stage when Indian farmers were committing suicides.

The Congress leader found an unlikely ally when Patiala MP Dr Dharamvira Gandhi also opposed the 50 per cent proposed hike.

“I think there is no need for such a steep hike when the farmers in the country are suffering losses. People of the country are keenly watching parliamentarians get together to increase their salary. All we will get is criticism. The committee that has proposed it should relook into it,” said Capt Amarinder Singh.

“When ex-servicemen are sitting on strike demanding one rank, one pension, such a hike cannot be justified,” he said.

Interestingly, the recommendations of the parliamentary committee to increase the pay and pension of its members and former members of both Houses has once again placed the MPs of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab against each other.

While Patiala MP Dr Dharamvira Gandhi has opposed the move, terming it unnecessary and unjustified, Fatehgarh Sahib MP Harinder Singh Khalsa has supported it, keeping in view the expenses of the MPs.

Dr Gandhi said the proposed hike in salaries of parliamentarians, a majority of whom are multimillionaires and are already enjoying benefits and perks worth lakhs of rupees per month, including highly subsidised food, was a mockery of the poor as 50 per cent children in India were malnourished and lakhs of farmers were committing suicide.

Quoting the latest UNDP report according to which the hunger index, human development index and gender development index in India are among the lowest in the world — even below several countries of sub-Saharan Africa, Dr Gandhi said that rather than seeking a hike, the parliamentarians and government should adopt austerity measures to reduce the burden on the state exchequer and use the money for the welfare of the common man.

However, Khalsa is of the view that parliamentarians’ salary was not enough to sustain their expenses. “We not only have to manage two houses — one at New Delhi and our house, but have to attend to large number of party volunteers who come to us with hope. It gets very difficult for an honest parliamentarian, who does not make money from other sources, to meet his expenses,” he said.

“The government is setting up pay commissions and revising the salaries of all employees, so why not of the parliamentarians,” he asked.

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