VIEWS & OPINIONS

Was the unethical demand of pay hike by MPs justified?

Sunita D'Silva, Journalist
No. Our politicians have started dictating terms for them without taking a consideration of our rising prices, inflation and overall economy. The norms of democracy, budgeting etc have been thrown to the wind and they are looking for their personal gains. The high disparity of income levels is putting our country into serious problems and it is high time our opposition and government work together in the interest of the nation instead of keeping an eye on power. In fact slowly and gradually, income has been shifting away from the majority towards the wealthy minority and a substantial segment of the population is being forced to eat less food and wear older clothing than before. This is exacerbated by the current global depression, which is further constraining mass consumption because of rising unemployment. This not always because these nations produce too little grain to feed their populations, but because the end use of the grain they do produce is determined by the superior purchasing power of their own elites and of richer populations. Within a given developing country, the middle- and high-income classes are able to corner the bulk of domestically consumed grain with a rising share for indirect use, while the low-income classes are deprived of even sufficient direct consumption to meet minimum needs. The rise in upper- and middle-class incomes thus has important implications in a developing country for the availability of food grains for the poor majority. Hence, these ministers with a thought of only growing richer are putting a serious burden on the economy and rising food prices and inflation. If this trend continues the poor will be left with no option but to starve.

Vijay Prabhu, Service
Definitely Not. Ms Jayalalithaa said Mr Karunanidhi had charged her with amassing wealth to the tune of Rs 66 crore, because she had declared that she drew only Re one as salary when she was Chief Minister from 1991-1996. She also said she was drawing only Re one as salary when she was the Chief Minister as she was not dependent on the salary to lead her life. As she had sufficient wealth and properties, she symbolically drew a monthly salary of Re one, so that the money could be used for the benefit of the people. The assets include large farm houses and bungalows in Chennai and its suburbs, vast tracts of agricultural land in many parts of Tamil Nadu, a farm house in Hyderabad, a tea estate in the Nilgiris, jewellery, cash in bank accounts, investments in financial firms and industrial sheds in Chennai. Then why do these MPs require a hefty raise in salaries when they don’t deserve.

Premanand Shetty, Business
No.Even the reported cases of corruption hardly ever lead to punishment of these anti socials in public service. The system stinks due to political corruption. A total overhaul of our public services both at Central and state levels is long overdue, but who it to bell the cat? Not possible in India, under any kind of democratic dispensation. Look at China, public services are said to be far more efficient, and punishment to offenders is mostly prompt and deadly, and the procedure for hounding out these elements is not a farce as it is in India. God save our motherland from this vile grip of demons among public servants, public service commissions and politicians acting in unholy nexus. WE DO NOT DESERVE DEMOCRACY in its present form due to this single cancer of public (dis)service. No scheme of fear, punishment, recognition and reward can ever work in India, any longer. Too difficult to stem the rot, to clean the Augean stables having accumulated muck for over half a century.

Daniel D'Silva, Student
They do not deserve. What is more astonishing is the fact that while the Maharashtra government has been spending a Rs 12 crore of taxpayer money every year on its ministers of state without allotting them any work since no files are marked to them. Portfolios without any responsibility or work. Each minister of state for sitting idle without any work is provided with 22 aides and staffers at office and at home, including a private secretary, 3 personal assistants, 2 stenographers, 8 peons, 3 telephone operators, 2 body guards and a driver. Besides each minister is given conveyance allowance of Rs 4.8 lakhs to keep his two official cars running and another Rs 1.8 lakh to keep to keep his cell phones and landlines ringing. To keep the idle ministers living cosily costs the exchequer Rs 12 crores a year and the innocent tax payer has to slog the day to keep these ministers living cosily without any work... What a shame. All the 22 aides and staffers at office and home are paid by the taxpayers for their secretaries, stenos to pass time on FB, peons to do household errand jobs, drivers to drop and pick-up children from school and drive the ministers wives to high fly malls for shopping. This is our democracy...

Arjun Ramrakhiani, Business
No.Now since the MPs have managed to squeeze for a hefty pay hike it is now the duty of the Parliamentary Affairs Ministry to inform the citizens of this country, how many MPs have PAN, how many of them have filed IT returns during the last three years and how many of them pay tax on their income. Since they are people representatives they are accountable to the people. Usually for any pay revision or salaries hike it is a different body or pay Commission which has to decide what a reasonable salary hike is. Here the MPS have adopted tactics of might is right and decided the hike on their own without considering how the 'Aam Aadmi' is surviving under adverse economic conditions due to high inflation. The MPs have the power to raise their own salaries, while democracy rulers and the poor labourers do not. A black day on Indian democracy....