Salary hike for MPs boils up public anger

KOZHIKODE: The debate over the decision of the Cabinet to hike the basic salary of MPs from `16,000 to `50,000 is heating up among the public. People from different walks of life have started criticising the huge increase in the salary of the MPs, who are already availing allowances for electricity, travel, accommodation, internet, telephone and what else.

Majority of the persons contacted by Express opined that the decision of the Cabinet was unfair. The commoners refuted the claims of the MPs by pointing out that a huge share of the tax amount was already being spent on the MPs as salary and other allowances.

A few who were busily moving through the streets to purchase vegetables and flowers for Thiruvonam said, the public is paying the charges of rail ticket, air ticket, petrol, telephone, food and accommodation of the people's representatives. The amount that they get in the name of salary is just the 'take home' amount, they added. "The annual salary of an MP before the pay hike was around `2 lakh, after all other expenses. With the pay hike, it would be `6 lakh," said Narayanankutty, a retired bank employee. What is more embarrassing is that the amount is being paid apart from taking care of their working and domestic expenses, he pointed out.

Even when claiming their salary to be insufficient, the MPs are covering up the real amount that the taxpayers are forced to spend for them. According to an approximate data, with `16,000 as basic salary, the tax payer spends more than `45 lakh for each MP a year, which would increase up to `60 lakh, with the new decision.

Presently, the tax payers are spending `354.6 crore a year for salary and allowance of 788 MPs including 544 Lok Sabha MPs and 244 Rajya Sabha MPs. The new decision would force the tax payers to spend `472.8 crore. The public fury over the decision had one more reason. They pointed out the unanimity of the political parties in in demanding hike in the salary and other perks. The Cabinet would have witnessed walkouts and sloganeering if the decision was to be taken on any public welfare projects, say the commoners. The protest of the RJD, SP and other parties to increase the salary to `80,000 and the silent support and quick compromises also have provoked the voters.