Leaders of nation without responsibility

It is strange that while everyone is supposed to have duty and responsibility for the salaries paid to one but a Member of Parliament has no duty or responsibility as indicated by the Government since no provision exists in the Constitution about it. This was the information given to RTI activists by the Secretariat. But how they are law unto themselves when everyone has some indication of what one is supposed to do and for which one is accountable?

Recent logjam in Parliament when both houses remain paralyzed has raised many pertinent questions about the role and responsibility of the law makers. For this stalemate both parties are responsible as earlier BJP too indulged in similar tactics to hold the house to ransom when UPA was in power. Many informed critics say that the government is getting taste of their own medicine. But looking at it from the view point of national interest both wrong do not make one right. It is not only sheer waste of time and money it is biggest fraud played on nation by the politicians when they are paid high remunerations and perks and they do nothing to further the economic and social progress of the nation and simply heckle each other.HT survey of Indian readers showed that 84% respondents feel that the deadlock will hurt economy of the country. 74% voted for suspension as positive step to change the situation. Nevertheless Congress is unmoved for all these days and the kind of conduct shown by all members is condemnable as we are regressing in our standards and norms of dignity.

India is  paying these legislators fabulously and considering the economic conditions of poor this is offensive to treat their representatives so lavishly. Each MP costs 1,40,000(total with free perks and other facilities cost 35 lakh perannum) in salary prior to pending revision besides lucrative pension even if the service is one day. They have frèe medical and travel in train and air.  Their average salary is 68 times of what an average person earns and Lalu Yadav had already demanded 500% increase in this. Even small state legislature like Himachal that is highly under debt pays 1.5 lakhP.M. to legislatures while most of the CMs are getting near once lakh, except P.M. who is getting 50,000 under revision and Mamta who receives meager 8000 per month.  It is national crime to pay so much to these people who have no duties and responsibility and can afford to be absent any time. Three things are must First is ‘No work No pay’ must be applied to them as it is applied to all other working people. Second their remunerations should be decided by independent commission not by themselves. Third they should be barred from any other business or job. In Switzerland all the law makers are professional or working people who get free holidays during the sessions to attend to work. In UK there is independent commission to fix their salaries.

When the disruptions of Parliament for which no right has been conferred on the law makers in the Charter of the country, are condemnable it is necessary to have a code of conduct for the member in the house. Speaker of Rajya Sabha has no powers like the Lok Sabha to take action and  even the need to have an upper house consisting of those who have lost the elections is not very justified. Originally it was for the eminent persons of science and scholars or artists or seasoned wise thinkers of political party but now it is simply a house of those who  lost the elections. Even then there is nothing wrong in nominating political people with high esteem in the public life but the way it is composed and acts as break on the Government without acting as check and balance as in US constitution is worth debating again.

Bus Stand

First passenger: My son failed in all admission tests for high institutions and I want him to earn a lot of money. What to do ?

Second Passenger: Ask him to join politics.

--Prof N.K.Singh former Chairman International Airports Authority of India