Congress MPs to forgo allowance for session

NEW DELHI: In an attempt to bring pressure on the Opposition to end the long spell of adjournments in Parliament, Congress MPs in large numbers have written to Speaker Meira Kumar that they should be allowed to forgo their daily allowance during the period of disruptions.

Backed by the party leadership, about 80 MPs have written to the Speaker. Among them are both Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. “The MPs feel that if Parliament is not functioning, they have no right to draw allowances for that time,” parliamentary affairs minister P K Bansal told reporters.

An MP gets Rs 2,000 as daily allowance during a Parliament session. The first MP to write to the Speaker forgoing the daily allowance was Manish Tewari. “The MPs do have the right to refuse their allowance if they have not worked for a period,” Bansal said. He said the loss to the exchequer was cause for concern.

There are indications that almost all Congress MPs will eventually take the no-work no-pay route. The BJP, however, saw the Congress move as a diversionary ploy saying it was an attempt to divert attention from the 2G scam. “They are trying to shift the focus from the real issue but we will not relent until a JPC is announced,” BJP spokesman Prakash Javdekar said.