This year's budget session of Parliament is certain to go down in Indian history as one of the most acrimonious ever. Yet, it had its moments of fraternity.On August 4, for instance, the Lok Sabha stood as one man. To solemnly pledge to defend India's frontiers? To decide to take on the world on the nuclear issue perhaps? Not a chance - it was the MPs getting together to give themselves a generous pay hike.When Madan Lal Khurana, minister for parliamentary affairs, moved the necessary amendment to the Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament Act, 1954, it was only the left parties which protested. The reaction was amazing. The outnumbered comrades were booed by the rest of the House. As a fuming Somnath Chatterjee, CPI(M) MP, put it, "We have become the butt of ridicule for giving ourselves a raise. An independent body should have done the job, based on an objective study of needs and expenses."Chatterjee may as well have been talking to himself. For the bulk of the 545 members of the Lok Sabha and 244 of the Rajya Sabha, the latest salary increment was most welcome. It had been mooted in 1995 and several joint parliamentary committees had recommended it..preferred-source-banner{ margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom:10px;}Finally, a month ago Speaker G.M.C. Balayogi spoke to Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha and got the required clearance. The new pay package - brought in with retrospective effect from April 1, 1998 - will cost the Consolidated Fund of India Rs 15.05 crore annually. Click here to EnlargeThis year, there will be a burden of Rs 3.65 crore more than what had been budgeted. Anxious to keep the right people happy, the MPs also voted to raise the monthly salaries of the President (Rs 20,000 to Rs 50,000), the vice-president (Rs 14,500 to Rs 40,000) and governors (Rs 11,000 to Rs 36,000).While the average Indian may not think of his or her MP as epitomising indigence, the parliamentarians have been complaining. To quote Najma Heptullah, Rajya Sabha deputy chairperson: "People think many of us steal to make ends meet. Such has been our salary status." An indignant H. Hanumanthappa, also of the Rajya Sabha, would agree: "Do you expect to breed honesty among MPs when you pay them only Rs 1,500 a month?" Strong words and perhaps a trifle misplaced, given the delightful perquisites of MP dom. For a start, there is the residence in Delhi, then heavily subsidised groceries. MPs have been allowed one lakh free phone calls a year. The August 4 bill raises the figure to 1.5 lakh. The number of free air journeys has gone up from 28 in a year to 32. Whereas an MP's spouse was allowed an AC II rail ticket from the constituency to Delhi and back once during each parliamentary session, now unlimited AC I journeys will be allowed. What's more, there is talk of doubling the MPs "local area development" allowance of Rs 1 crore a year. It's been bonanza season for Lok Sabha MPs. Only a few weeks ago their quota for 160 instant LPG connections and 100 instant telephone connections a year was restored. It had been withdrawn by P.A. Sangma, then Speaker, in 1997 when it was found that some MPs were selling the connections. The Rajya Sabha had retained the quota. Now parity has been restored. Between them, the quotas and the pay hike reaffirm an old adage: entering Parliament means getting onto the ultimate gravy train.Published By: AtMigration Published On: Aug 17, 1998--- ENDS ---
