The Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress, on Tuesday, slammed the recommendation of a committee constituted by the Delhi Assembly Speaker to allow a four-fold increase in the salaries of Delhi MLAs.
Delhi BJP chief Satish Upadhyay and Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta criticised the Arvind Kejriwal government over the recommendations by calling it “shocking”. Mr Gupta said that AAP should change its name to “Khaas Aadmi Party.”
He said that in a city where an average citizens’ family earning is around Rs.15000 a month, a four fold increase in salary of MLAs raising it to around Rs. 1 lakh per month would reflect the “total disconnect” of the Arvind Kejriwal government with the people.
Mr. Upadhyay said, “Salary and perks should always be proportionate to the required standards of living but the four fold enhancement of salary now being proposed is totally abnormal.” He also considered it distraction from the professed ideology of the Aam Aadmi Party. “It is really strange that AAP which propagated that elected members should learn to live on basic requirements has suddenly after coming to power become an advocate of abnormal enhancement of MLA salary and perks,” said Mr Upadhyay.
Congress reacted similarly wherein Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president Ajey Maken said, “The government has no funds for payment of salary to Safai Karamcharis, pension of elderly, physically handicapped and other deprived sections and management of dengue, but when it comes to the matter of MLAs’ salary, it is more than liberal. It is ready to follow so called best international practices.”
“In a city where an average citizens’ family earning is around Rs.15000 a month, a four-fold increase in salary of MLAs would reflect the total disconnect of the government with the people”
