NEW DELHI : Lawmakers of the ruling NDA will give up their salaries and other allowances for the 23 days that parliament did not function in the second half of the Budget session, parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar declared on Wednesday as the government stares at a washed-out session.
This is the first time in recent decades that lawmakers have decided to forgo their salary. There have, of and on, been calls to introduce the principle of "no work, no pay" for lawmakers. But this provision wasn’t incorporated in the law pushed through parliament by the government that has given lawmakers a huge pay hike, and an automatic raise every five years.
Ananth Kumar’s announcement at a hurriedly-convened media briefing comes amid speculation that the government was in favour of adjourning parliament on Thursday, instead of Friday as scheduled earlier.
Wednesday’s decision is seen as an effort to pin the blame for the disruptions in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on the opposition that had moved a no-confidence motion against the government.
Source: NDTV
