Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, Apr 1: Alleging humiliation over their salary enhancement move, Legislators today pressed for adoption of a systematic procedure like the Parliament model in this regard to permanently settle the issue in a dignified manner.
Follow the Daily Excelsior channel on WhatsApp
Cutting across party lines, Members of the J&K Legislative Assembly claimed that the amount being paid to them as Legislator was not the salary, but their “earned right” and the executive sitting on recommendations of the House Committee in this regard amounts to demeaning authority of the House.
They were particularly peeved over the attitude of executive towards the Legislators and recommendations of House panels on various issues, including enhancement of their salary for which a House Committee was constituted last year by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
The issue was raised during the Zero Hour by BJP MLA Balwant Singh Mankotia, who alleged disinformation campaign against the MLAs through media reports and other channels that the Legislators get their salary enhanced in each session of the Assembly whereas the reality was entirely different.
Even as the Speaker A R Rather sought to clarify that no salary of the Legislators has been enhanced and decision on report of the House Committee sent to Government in this regard was still pending, several members from treasury as well as opposition benches joined the discussion registering their strong displeasure over alleged humiliation of the lawmakers over the issue.
Javed Hassan Beig of NC, in his fiery speech, stressed that the monthly amount and allowance being paid to Legislators is not the salary, but “earned right” of the elected representatives
“Don’t make a joke of our salary. We are not beggars, but elected representatives and our right should be settled in a dignified manner,” he thundered.
Pointing out that Rs 30,000 crores is annually spent on salary of bureaucrats, the NC Legislator said, “have the journalists courage to ask Chief Secretary about his hefty salary?”
Beig said some Legislators claim that they were not here for salary, but he knew the members who sold their land and gave entire life to contest elections for getting elected as MLA.
BJP MLA R S Pathania also registered his reservation over the term salary for the monthly amount being paid to the lawmakers as legislator is not a salaried servant. “An elected MLA is accountable to people not the Government. When the House Committee has given its report, the executive cannot sit on its recommendations,” he said, and suggested that Parliament modal on salary of the members should be adopted.
BJP MLA Narinder Singh sought to know the outcome of the House Committee report and suggested that a systematic procedure should be adopted on enhancing salary of the legislators like in the case of Government employees or the Parliament members.
Sajjad Lone of People’s Conference said that decision on recommendations of the House Committee is not a matter of salary of the legislators, but authority of the House. “It is not about the perks and salary, but the institution,” he added.
Nizam-ud-Din Bhat of Congress also said that the issue was a matter of dignity of the House and tells how the members face humiliation while discharging their duties.
“Our recommendations are thrown in dustbin, This is our power which the entire country should see. It is not humiliation of our Chief Minister but the entire Jammu and Kashmir,” he alleged.
“We are not daily wagers, but representatives of public and officers are public representatives. Should this country bear that an institution like Assembly is treated low?” he said and added that the issue (House Committee recommendations) should be closed by either accepting or rejecting the report. Independent MLA Muzaffar Hussain also alleged wilfully disinformation over the issue of the salary enhancement of legislators.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
