BJP MP Varun Gandhi on Sunday urged Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to initiate a “movement” to encourage economically well-off Lok Sabha members to give up their remunerations for the remaining term of the Lower House. He has also asked a freeze on the current salaries of MPs and create an independent external statutory body to fix their salaries in future. Reminding that India’s inequality gap is widening every day “with India’s richest 1 per cent holding 60 per cent of the country’s total wealth”, the BJP MP from Sutanpur, said the move to forego salaries would reinforce people’s faith in their representatives.
Varun who met Mahajan Sunday to present a letter highlighting his expectation from fellow MPs, said the number of MPs who own assets worth over a crore has seen a sharp rise from 319 in 2009 to 449 as of today. He further said that 132 of the sitting Lok Sabha MPs -24 per cent- have declared assets worth more than ten crore”.
Quoting the Association of Democratic Reforms , he said average assets in the 16th Lok Sabha sits at Rs 14.61 crore per MP. This apart, 96 per cent MPs of Rajya Sabha are crorepati’s with average asset of per MP at Rs 20.12 crore, said the BJP MPs and urged “ a movement” to have rich MPs voluntarily give up their salaries.
“While I realize that not all MPs enjoy higher economic positions and some depend on a salary for their livelihood , my request to you Madam Speaker , is to initiate a movement, aimed the economically advantaged MPs, to forgo our remuneration for the reminder of this 16th Lok Sabha..”, said Varun.
“A voluntary exercise such as this would send a positive message across the nation regarding the level of sensitivity we possess as elected representatives,” he wrote in his letter. The MP had in the past moved a private member bill in Parliament to propose right to recall MPs and MLAs within two years from being elected if 75% of those who voted for them were not satisfied with their performance.
In his letter Varun also suggested creating an independent, statutory body , in the line of UK’s Review body to ascertain the affordability of the move and the need for an increase in fiscal compensation for MPs.The MP expressed concern over the widening inequality in the country, saying it was “detrimental” to democracy.