Doesn't pay to be an MLA in Bengal

KOLKATA: When it comes to pay packets, Bengal MLAs draw far less in a month than their counterparts in the other eastern states and elsewhere in the country.
An MLA in West Bengal draws a monthly pay of around `12,000 (including constituency and compensation allowances). The last revision of the pay was made in March 2010. In comparison, MLAs in Assam and those in Jharkhand draw around six times and four times higher than their Bengal counterparts respectively.
The MLAs are provided `750 as allowance for attending meetings.This apart, an MLA is provided with coupons for travelling within the state. If they have to travel outside the state, the expense has to be within `50,000 per annum. Medical expenses are reimbursed provided the treatment is done within the state. For any treatment made outside the state, the speaker's permission is a must.
Congress MLA from Englishbazar, Krishnendu Narayan Choudhury, describes the wages as "shameful". "When we go to other states, we realise where we stand. Why don't CPM MLAs raise their voice for a salary hike? Their MPs will also get a higher salary now. Being an MLA means some additional expenses. Will the MLA have to pay from his own pocket," Choudhury asked.
MLAs in Bihar, though better paid than those in Bengal, are also complaining. "We are highly underpaid," said JD(U) MLA and former minister Nitish Mishra. "In many states, the ministers and MLAs are paid more than us," said Chhedi Paswan, minister in charge of building construction.
Chowdhury, Paswan and Mishra have reasons to complain. Last month, the salary of Assam MLAs was nearly doubled with a jump to `72,084 from the previous `34,300. The windfall came their way since the government wanted to hike the pension for ex-MLAs.
"The hike is absolutely justified. Till 2005, an MLA used to get `3,000. In 2008 it was raised to `12,000. Pension has to be 50% of the salary of existing MLAs. So we had to increase their salaries first," explained Bharat Chandra Narah, Assam government's parliamentary affairs minister.
The MLAs in Assam get conveyance, secretarial, contingency and other allowances. They also get a car advance of `15 lakh for the entire term.
In Jharkhand, an MLA draws `49,333 per month. This includes telephone, constituency, medical and stationary allowances. In the last nine years, the salary of MLAs in Jharkhand has been revised as many as five times.
MP Inder Singh Namdhari, former Jharkhand speaker, accepted that salaries of Jharkhand MLAs were higher than those of other states, including the newly formed Chhattisgarh and Meghalaya, though it was not the highest.
MLAs in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh are paid `28,000 while in Meghalaya, the amount is around `23,600. In Orissa, an MLA draws around `20,000 per month. They are provided allowances for books, periodicals, journals and also for power consumption.
In Bengal, the revision of salaries for the MLAs took place last March. In the last session, there was a hike in the pension of former MLAs. A minister in the West Bengal government gets a salary of `7,500 apart from allowances. State finance minister Asim Dasgupta has said a clear no to any hike in the ministers' pay packet.
State assembly speaker Hashim Abdul Halim said hikes should be reasonable. "Should there be a vast difference between the people's representatives and the living conditions of the core section of the society? Is that right? When the people don't get to eat, should the representatives live as kings? We are not in favour of unnecessary hikes," Halim said.
"The MLAs used to get even lesser salary in the past. Recently, there has been a revision. When the next government is formed, it will take a call," said leader of opposition Partha Chatterjee.
Government chief whip Syed Mohammad Masih admits that MLAs in Bengal are among the lowest paid in the country, but himself doesn't want a change. "If we start comparing with other states, we will be nowhere. Recently, an association of former legislators formed in Gujarat has released a report on the pensions drawn by ex-MLAs. Bengal is the lowest. But I don't feel there should be any revision. Each state has its culture, priorities," he said.
In the last session, the pension for MLAs was hiked from ‘4,000 to ‘8,000, with a maximum of ‘12,000. Medical allowance was also increased to Rs 6,000 from the previous ‘4,000.