PARLIAMENT DIARY
As the Budget session came to an end Wednesday, the MPs — who were expecting the government to introduce a salary hike bill — went back to their constituencies a little disappointed. When the speaker and chairman indicated that the session had ended and asked people to stand up for the Vande Mataram the disappointment was palpable. After the adjournment of the House sine die, leaders of all major political parties assembled in the Rajya Sabha chairman’s chamber for customary exchange of greetings, where an informal discussion took place regarding salary hike. In fact, the chairman himself had written to the Prime Minister to consider an amendment in the bill to hike salaries.
After the implementation of seventh pay commission recommendations, senior government employees are now getting more salary than the President and the vice-president of India. The government wanted to bring a salary hike bill for the President, the vice-president and the governors of the states, which the parliamentary affairs ministry could not finalise. During the discussion inside the chairman’s chamber, the PM was also present but refrained from commenting.
Earlier, reports suggested that the Prime Minister was opposed to salary hike for the MPs. On Wednesday, the political party leaders were given an assurance that the bill will be introduced in the next Monsoon Session. Terms of both the President and the vice-president end in the month of July and August respectively.
WILL MAMATA BACK YECHURY?
Before West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee left for Kolkata, she had a telephonic conversation with Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday. It is being speculated that the two spoke about the possible nomination of CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury for Rajya Sabha as his term comes to an end in July.
Recently, Mr Yechury met Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi reportedly to talk about the former’s candidature for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections. After the Assembly poll results in West Bengal, neither Congress nor Left has the strength to elect their own MP. One candidate can win the election if Congress and Left unite but Congress has its own MP Pradip Bhattacharya. Mr Gandhi reportedly wants to support Mr Yechury as the joint candidate but Mrs Gandhi’s views on the matter are not known.
It is clear that Ms Banerjee will not support a CPI(M) candidate. But with an eye on 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Congress is toying with the idea of an alliance with TMC in West Bengal. It is now to be seen whether Ms Banerjee will give a green signal to a CPI(M) leader’s candidature for the Rajya Sabha, paving the way for grand alliance in the 2019 elections.