On Monday, the Central Government sanctioned a significant 24% salary hike for Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs. This decision, which also extends increased allowances and pensions to former MPs, underscores a stark irony. Politicians who often clash on policy matters in Parliament found uncommon unity in approving their own pay raise. With barely a word of opposition, MPs across party lines ensured that their monthly salary surged from Rs 1,00,000 to Rs 1,24,000, along with additional allowances: Rs 70,000 for constituency expenses, Rs 60,000 for office maintenance, and a daily session allowance increase from Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,500. And, as a cherry on top, this hike is applied retroactively from April 1, 2023.
Contrast this with the reality of an average Indian citizen. The nation's per capita income stands at Rs 1,84,000 annually, translating to Rs 15,000 per month. This means an MP's salary alone is eight times the average Indian’s income, not accounting for additional perks such as government-provided residences, 50,000 units of free electricity, and subsidised water bills. In stark contrast, an unskilled worker earns a meagre Rs 17,494 per month, while skilled labourers receive Rs 21,215. The disparity is glaring. MPs enjoy salaries six times higher than these workers, not to mention the numerous additional allowances they pocket.
For two decades, the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has been demanding an increase in pension benefits, yet those pleas have largely fallen on deaf ears. Meanwhile, MPs secured a substantial salary hike in just five years without resistance. Adding to the irony, a government that encourages young men and women to serve in the armed forces under the Agnipath scheme where they are retired after just four years to avoid pension burdens; seems unperturbed about the financial strain imposed by a lavish salary structure for MPs.
The argument that MPs deserve a fair wage to prevent corruption is valid in principle. However, this raises a crucial question. Should salary hikes be linked to performance? In most other professions, pay is commensurate with productivity. Shouldn’t the same apply to lawmakers? Unlike MPs in countries like the UK and the US, who work an average of 164–167 days a year, Indian MPs are expected to work only 110 days annually and in practice, many fall short of even this benchmark. When questioned about their productivity, MPs often dodge accountability, relying instead on the obscurity of their performance metrics to justify periodic raises.
A rare voice of dissent emerged from BJP MLA Umakant Sharma, who refused his salary and allowances, citing public service as his only motive for being in politics. But how many such idealists exist in today’s Parliament? If MPs truly wish to follow the principles of Dr Punjabrao Deshmukh, who argued in the 1950s for fair salaries to prevent corruption, must also embrace the spirit of accountability that his argument entailed.
Criticism of these salary hikes is often brushed aside as misplaced cynicism against politicians. Some argue that a 24% increase after seven years is not excessive. However, the real issue is not the pay hike itself but the lack of justification for it in a country where the majority struggle with economic hardships. The Modi government took a step in 2018 to depoliticise the process by linking MPs' salaries to inflation, eliminating the need for them to approve their own raises. Despite this, the optics remain problematic especially when MPs continue to receive perks such as free domestic air travel (34 flights annually), first-class train travel, subsidised utilities, and an annual MP development fund of Rs 2 crore, which is often misused or underutilised.
At the heart of this debate lies a simple question. Are these raises justified in a country where economic disparity is rampant? Shouldn’t there be a stronger link between an MP’s pay and their performance? Instead of simply opposing salary hikes, citizens must demand greater accountability and transparency from those in power. If MPs believe they deserve a pay raise, let them prove it through legislative effectiveness, constituency work, and a commitment to genuine public service. Until then, such hikes will continue to be seen as yet another example of a privileged class enriching itself at the expense of the common citizen.