In the letter, ‘MPs salary’ (Herald, Feb 6, 2018), Mahesh Kumar has rightly said, “The Parliamentarians have got maximum benefit in Budget 2018 by safeguarding themselves against inflationary trend – which the government is unable to control from any angle/measure”. While Varun Gandhi asked MPs to forego their salaries for the remainder of the present Lok Sabha term to show their sensitivity to rising inequalities among Indians, the Union Budget has answered it in the most insensitive way by proposing to double MPs’ salaries from Rs 50,000 per month to Rs 1 lakh per month.
Though the salary cake of the MPs is going to get a 100 percent increase in size, the tremendous icing on the cake is in the form of huge perks for the MPs that have interestingly not been compromised. Along with high salaries, MPs will keep on getting cheap, subsidised housing and other perks like free train travel, free flights, free healthcare etc.
When our political leaders ask us to give up the benefits of LPG subsidy for a greater cause, must not they themselves practice such renunciation? Must not they act as our role models? Unfortunately, according to the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), which analysed the election affidavits filed before the EC, 34 percent of the new MPs face criminal charges. Thus, the 16th Lok Sabha has the highest number of MPs with criminal cases as the percentage in 2009 and 2004 stood at 30 and 24 respectively.
This fact stands in total contrast to the way officers in the civil service are recruited. A person with a criminal record is not eligible to enter civil service. Before appointment thorough police verification (PVR) of the candidate is done. And if a person has any adverse police record then his or her candidature is rejected. Now, the question is: why should we have two diametrically different sets of rules, one for the elected executives and the other for the selected ones?
We must not forget that our MPs are our political leaders. They should be the living examples and practice sincerity that can bridge what one says with what one does. They must do it to enhance the electorate’s trust in them. It is time to show that our leaders can really walk the walk and not just like those persons who can only talk the talk.
