Cong LS, RS MPs not on same page over suspension of MPLAD funds

Opposition parties largely welcomed the 30 per cent cut in salaries of Members of Parliament to fight Covid-19 outbreak, but came out strongly against the decision to suspend the MPLADs fund, which is used for development work in constituencies.

In the Congress, a war of words broke out between Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha MPs over support to merger of MPLADs funds into the Consolidated fund of India.

Congress Rajya Sabha MPs Jairam Ramesh and Rajeev Gowda welcomed both the cut in salaries and suspension of MPLADs for the next two years. “I welcome the decision on MPLADs. I have been arguing for long that approximately Rs 7,000 crore given to MPs and MLAs annually for development works should be used as a corpus for state funding of elections,” Jairam Ramesh tweeted.

Rajeev Gowda, a Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka said, “I welcome government’s decision to cut MPs’ salaries and suspension of MPLADs. Now please mobilise all resources to fight Covid-19. Identify non-urgent expenses example Central Vista. Cut petrol taxes too”.

However, most Lok Sabha MPs differed.

Congress MP from Virudhunagar, Manickam Tagore tweeted that there was a disconnect between

Rajya Sabha MPs and ground realities.

“It’s sad that how Rajya Sabha MPs are completely disconnected with the ground reality!,” he tweeted.

Another MP from Tamil Nadu, Karti P Chidambaram echoed his views and said, “All those who welcome the MPLAD fund suspension and who tweet against my opposition to this, get off your snobbish urban perches, visit Sivaganga and see how useful the funds are to local communities and see the demand for such projects from the constituents.”

“This can only be stated by someone who has never faced a direct election and has no constituents to answer to,” he added.

Senior Congress MPs in the Lok Sabha Manish

Tewari and Shashi Tharoor too criticised the MPLADs suspension.

Tewari said, “As an MP who represents a predominately rural constituency I fully support the 30 per cent cut in my salary. However, the suspension of MPLADS is a bit of an overstretch. At this time of grave humanitarian distress that will get only worse in the months ahead, MPLADS is a targeted and nimble instrument to customise micro level interventions to alleviate distress.”

Whereas Tharoor said, “MPLADS is the only means for an MP to direct development resources to his constituency. An order to earmark all MPLAD spending for Covid-19 related measures would have been ok.”