New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta on Tuesday criticised the report of the expert committee on the revision of salary and allowances of MLAs, demanding its review to make it more "rational".
The BJP leader, while reacting to the committee report presented to the Speaker of Delhi Assembly, said, "It is our considered view that the recommendations of the Expert Committee should be reviewed and made more rational keeping in view the ground realities of Delhi and its residents."
"MLAs should not fly too high by the AAP Government, they should remain grounded in reality," Gupta said.
"With its unlimited generosity in the matter of pay and allowances for Delhi MLAs, the Aam Aadmi Party Government has become 'Khas' Aadmi Party (KAP)," he said while hitting at the Delhi Government.
Criticising the "manifold" increase in the pay and allowances of MLAs recommended by the committee, he accused the AAP Government of putting a heavy tax burden on the Delhi people.
"There is already an additional burden of 7,000 crores on Delhi's citizens as number of taxes has been increased. It is feared that the expenditure on revised pay and allowances will further put burden on common man," he added.
An independent panel has recommended a hike in the salary of the MLAs of Delhi.
The panel has recommended that the MLAs' salary should be increased to Rs. 50,000 from the current Rs. 12,000 and Rs. 70,000 for assistance.
It has also recommended for a conveyance hike from Rs. 6,000 to Rs. 30,000.
"We have gone into various aspects relating to the expenses and there are so many other considerations, on the basis of which we have decided that they should get this salary on these levels of allowances," Expert Committee member Rajiv Malik told the media.
