A delegation of MPs petitioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an increase in the Member of Parliament Local Area Development (MPLAD) Fund, but came away with no firm assurance and a homily on thrift.
The five-member delegation delivered a letter signed by 255 MPs — including those of the BJP, the Congress and the constituents of the NDA — to Mr. Modi in Parliament on Wednesday and asked that the fund, currently Rs. 5 crore for a five-year term (Rs. 1 crore for each year), be increased to Rs. 25 crore.
“We requested the Prime Minister to increase the allocation as we felt that such an amount, used by an MP for public works, would benefit his or her constituency,” said Neelam Sonkar, BJP MP from Lalganj in Uttar Pradesh, who led the delegation.
Sources present at the meeting said two MPs asked about the pending pay hike for MPs. A Joint Committee on Salaries and Allowances of MOs, headed by Gorakhpur MP Yogi Adityanath, has given its recommendations to the Finance Ministry, and they are awaiting Mr. Modi’s approval.
The sources said Mr. Modi gave no commitment on either demand and made “a couple of general comments on the need for thrift in public life.”
But Ms. Sonkar denied that any demand for a pay hike was made by the MPs and insisted that the delegation stuck to its demand for an increase in the MPLAD Fund. “We handed over the letter to the Prime Minister, who said he would look into the matter,” she said.
