Bhubaneswar: Only one MLA in Odisha has expressed reservations against the massive salary revision for the lawmakers, tripling their monthly earnings.
He is CPM MLA from Bonai Laxman Munda.
When the four separate bills, which included increasing the monthly emoluments of MLAs from Rs 1.11 lakh to Rs 3.45 lakh, were passed on December 9 without a single dissenting voice, Munda was with primary school teachers, staging a protest in front of the state Assembly over fulfilment of their demands including pay hike, according to CPM state unit secretary Suresh Chandra Panigrahi.
The four-time MLA is opposing the hike in their monthly salary and allowances, which has vaulted the legislators to the highest-paid ranks nationally, as the state lags several others in terms of minimum wages for workers, he further stated.
Panigrahi demanded the immediate withdrawal of the recent hike in allowances for MLAs, highlighting the longstanding grievances and unmet demands of labourers, teachers, and other government employees across the state.
In a related development, the secretary of Odisha unit of CPI Prashant Kumar Mishra on Wednesday alleged that the MLAs, who call themselves public servants, took the decision to triple their own allowances, abruptly suspended the Assembly session and fled while lakhs of workers in Odisha are deprived of minimum wages.
“Thousands of ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers, cook-cum-helpers, Sikhya Sahayaks, teachers and other employees are sitting in protest on Gandhi Marg road, braving the biting chill, demanding their legitimate rights and dues. At the mandis, farmers are sitting in the freezing cold waiting to sell their paddy, but the government is yet to start the procurement process,” he noted.
Demanding withdrawal of the decision to hike MLA salaries three-fold “by looting the state exchequer”, Mishra said the money should be better utilised by giving remunerative prices to farmers for agriculture produce and minimum wages of Rs 26,000 per month to labourers. “In congruence with the Consumer Price Index, based on which dearness allowance for government employees is fixed, the salary hike for elected representatives should be decided,” he added.
Also Read: Odisha MLAs Become Highest-Paid Lawmakers After Nearly 3-Fold Salary Hike
The Push Across Party Lines
The push for salary revision, citing rising cost of living, came from across party lines in March this year, days after the Centre approved a salary hike for MPs. Opposition whip Pramila Mallik raised the issue during zero hour in the Assembly, calling for a 2.5-times hike due to soaring medical costs and inflation. She further mentioned the remuneration of Odisha MLAs was among the lowest in the country, which was echoed by Congress and BJP members, who also expressed concerns over the financial burden of meeting constituency demands.
The members also reminded Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi that he had himself supported the salary hike in July 2022 as opposition whip, arguing that no revisions since 2017 had left legislators struggling with escalating living costs.
