MLA salary hike anti-people: Cong

Delhi Congress president Devender Yadav strongly opposed the BJP-led government’s decision to increase the salaries of MLAs, calling it an act of betrayal against the people of Delhi. He alleged that the move was the result of collusion between the BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and demanded its immediate withdrawal.

Yadav pointed out that the salary hike comes at a time when Delhi’s economy is struggling, inflation is rising and unemployment is a major concern. “It is unjustified to increase salaries of MLAs so quickly, especially when a 66 per cent hike was implemented in 2023,” he said.

According to him, the Delhi Government has slashed budgets for crucial public welfare schemes in education, water supply, sanitation, housing, urban development, energy, agriculture and rural development while prioritising pay raises for lawmakers.

He pointed out that the allocation for water supply and sanitation projects had been reduced from 18 per cent to 15 per cent, while MLAs were set to receive higher salaries.

Additionally, he criticised the government for taking a fresh loan of Rs 15,000 crore while planning to recover Rs 9,500 crore in taxes. He also pointed out that the interest payment budget had been reduced by Rs 420 crore, which he claimed would increase the debt burden on taxpayers.

Yadav further attacked the government for failing to allocate any budget for housewives, who were promised free gas cylinders on Holi and Diwali and for not introducing any schemes for employment generation. He accused AAP and BJP MLAs of working together to push for a salary increase during the Delhi Assembly’s Budget session and noted that a five-member committee had been formed to submit its report within two weeks.

“The salary of Delhi MLAs was increased from Rs 54,000 to Rs 90,000 in February 2023. Similarly, the salary of the Chief Minister, Cabinet Ministers, Speaker, Deputy Speaker, Chief Whip and the Leader of Opposition were raised from Rs 72,000 to Rs 1.7 lakh. Another increase will further burden taxpayers,” he said.

Yadav also criticised MLAs for demanding an increase in staff, while essential services for the general public remained inadequate. He argued that instead of tackling inflation and creating new employment opportunities, the government was focused on its own financial benefits.

Calling the salary hike an “anti-people step”, Yadav demanded its immediate rollback and urged the government to focus on addressing the real issues faced by Delhi residents.