AAP wants ‘one MLA, one pension’ rule in Punjab

Chandigarh: Opposing the practice of certain MLAs drawing more than one pension, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday demanded ‘One MLA, One Pension’ rule. A delegation of AAP MLAs, led by leader of opposition Harpal Singh Cheema, handed over a memorandum to Punjab assembly speaker Rana K P Singh.
After meeting the speaker, AAP MLAs said that their party was opposed to more than one monthly pension for MLAs/former MLAs, who had become MLAs more than once as such financial gain in the name of increments was morally incorrect. Therefore, an MLA should be given the same pension as a government employee, they said.
Cheema said the taxpayers have the right over the state exchequer. He said the Congress government had stopped the pensions of Punjab government employees in the name of reforms in 2004, which was strongly opposed by the employees and pensioners community. The AAP legislators demanded that in the forthcoming assembly session, the law should be passed with the consent of all the MLAs to abolish more than one pension rule and restore the old pension scheme for government employees.The delegation included Kultar Singh Sandhwan, Principal Budh Ram, Meet Hayer, Manjit Singh Bilaspur, Kulwant Pandori, Jai Singh Rodi and Amarjit Singh Sandoa.