Salary increase from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 3.45 lakh: In face of backlash, BJP MLAs tell Odisha govt to reconsider proposal
On December 9, the state assembly passed four key legislations for a three-fold hike in the salary and allowances of MLAs and ministers.
Odisha CM Charan Majhi (File photo) Amid mounting public criticism over the three-fold salary hike of MLAs in Odisha, the state government is likely to withdraw the legislation awaiting the governor’s assent, as BJP legislators Thursday urged Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to reconsider the decision.
“There was a detailed deliberation on the recent four bills passed in the state assembly regarding hike in the salary and allowances of the MLAs and others. To respect the public sentiment, all the BJP MLAs have given a representation to the chief minister to review and consider the decision of salary hike,” said Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Mahaling after a meeting of BJP MLAs at the party headquarters here.
According to BJP insiders, MLAs were asked to submit such a representation considering the public backlash over the timing and scale of the increase in the salary of legislators and others. It is also learnt that the central BJP leadership has expressed displeasure over the move.
“Even though a hike in the salary and allowances was justified as the last hike was done in 2018, a three-fold hike and making it the highest in the country should not have been done. The BJP government is yet to complete two years in office and there are other priorities. An exorbitant hike in the salary of MLAs would bring bad name to the government,” said a BJP leader, not wishing to be named.
On December 9, the state assembly passed four key legislations for a three-fold hike in the salary and allowances of MLAs and ministers — including the chief minister, the speaker and the deputy speaker.
According to the provisions of the bills, the monthly salary and allowances of MLAs would be increased from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 3.45 lakh, making it the highest in the country. Similarly, the salary and allowances of the chief minister, speaker, deputy speaker, deputy chief ministers, ministers, Leader of Opposition and chief whips will be between Rs 3.50 lakh and Rs 3.68 lakh per month.
Mahaling, who moved the legislation in the assembly, had earlier justified the salary hike of MLAs, citing the current rate of ‘inflation’.
According to officials, the decision to hike the salary and allowances of the MLAs and others would have an additional annual financial burden of around Rs 45 crore to Rs 50 crore on the exchequer.
Though the Bills were passed with support from all three major parties — BJP, BJD and Congress — the lone CPI (M) legislator, Laxman Munda, first opposed the bill a day later.
Days later, former chief minister and Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik declined to accept the hiked amount. In a letter to the Odisha CM on December 13, Patnaik announced he would forgo the hike and urged that the amount be utilised for the welfare of the poor in the state.
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