DEHRADUN: After an RTI reply revealed anomalies in complying with state cabinet's decision of taking 30 per cent cuts by all MLAs including Chief Minister and cabinet ministers, state Legislative Assembly Speaker Prem Chand Agarwal said that the matter will be discussed with Indian National Congress MLAs.
"I have received the letter from the leader of opposition and Congress MLAs will be consulted in the matter soon. The final decision will be taken unanimously so there is no confusion about the deduction from salary and allowances," said the speaker.
Leader of Opposition Indira Hridayesh has written to the speaker about the issue. Earlier, an RTI reply revealed that majority of Bhartiya Janta Party MLAs failed to comply with the cabinet's decision.
Earlier in May this year, the state cabinet took a decision that 30 per cent of the salaries and allowances of ministers, MLAs of the state including the CM will take cut and the amount will be deposited in Chief Minister's Relief Fund' to be used in fight for Covid 19 epidemic.
Launching a scathing attack on the BJP, Hridayesh said, "People can see now how much the BJP cares for them. They are so insensitive that they won't give people's money back to them. This is not a conduct representatives of people."
Hridayesh, Leader of Opposition in the state legislative assembly, a rank that of a cabinet minister, has been taking a cut of Rs 75600 since the month of May 2020.
Amount of Rs 57,600 is being deducted from salaries and allowances from all 11 INC MLAs of while only 13 MLAs of BJP out of 57 have agreed to deduct Rs 57,600 from their salaries.
Total 16 MLAs of BJP are having a deduction of Rs 30,000 per month, four MLAs of ruling party are having a deduction of Rs 12,600 per month while three BJP MLAs are having a deduction of Rs 9,000 per month since the month of May, this year.
Salaries and allowances for a month for one MLA amounts to Rs 3.25 lakh.
Interstingly, the state assembly secretariat did not provide information about deduction from salaries and allowances of the Chief Minister and the cabinet ministers.