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‘Better sooner than later’: BJP on Congress slashing its MLAs salaries
Congress’s Indira Hridayesh, the leader of the opposition in Uttarkhand assembly, said on Thursday that her party lawmakers have agreed to the 30% pay cut.
The Uttarakhand Congress has agreed on the Trivendra Singh Rawat-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government’s two-month-old decision of slashing 30% of the salaries of all the hill state’s legislators because of the deepening economic crisis triggered by the raging coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak.
Congress’s Indira Hridayesh, the leader of the opposition in Uttarkhand assembly, said on Thursday that her party lawmakers have agreed to the 30% pay cut.
“All our 11 members of the legislative assembly (MLAs) have agreed to the state government’s decision of a 30% salary cut. We’re supporting the government amid this economic crisis triggered by the pandemic.”
Hridayesh, however, took a dig at the government. “It’s a dangerous trend that the government didn’t take the opposition into confidence before taking such a crucial decision. It’s unacceptable in a democratic system,” she alleged.
Earlier on April 8, the state government had announced the 30% salary cut for all the 70 lawmakers. However, the Congress had accused the government of not taking the main opposition into confidence before it took such a ‘unilateral’ decision.
On Thursday, the party had a change of heart and wrote to CM Rawat and Speaker Premchand Agarwal, acceding to the state government’s decision.
In Uttarakhand, an MLA is entitled to a monthly salary of Rs 45,000, while that of a minister is Rs 45,000. CM Rawat draws a monthly salary of Rs 90,000.
On Friday, the state BJP described the Congress’s decision as “better late than never”.
“We welcome the Congress’s decision on the matter. Though they are late, they’ve agreed in the end,” said Ajendra Ajay, spokesperson for the BJP’s Uttarakhand unit.
Ajay however, termed the Congress’s accusations of not taking the opposition into confidence as illogical. “It’s a lame excuse for not giving up 30% of their salary in the fight against the pandemic. The Congress MLAs should support the government instead of making such ridiculous excuses,” he added.
