Congress MP Karti Chidambaram lashes out at the Centre for scrapping MPLAD Fund
New Delhi/IBNS: Congress MP Karti Chidambaram has lashed out at the Centre for scrapping the Member of Parliament Local Area Development Fund(MP-LAD) in view of the coronavirus crisis.
Every year MPs are allotted Rs 5 crore to conduct developmental work in their respective constituencies.
After the Coronavirus outbreak in the country, several MPs have donated a substantial amount from their MPLAD fund to the Centre to fight the deadly virus, which has so far claimed more than 100 lives.
"If the government wants to garner funds there are many ways, but to do away with MPLAD is absolutely unacceptable. It's a sinister move to make constituency MPs redundant and enforce a Presidential form of government by stealth," he tweeted.
If the government wants to garner funds there are many ways, but to do away with MPLAD is absolutely unacceptable. It’s a sinister move to make constituency MPs redundant and enforce a Presidential form of government by stealth.
— Karti P Chidambaram (@KartiPC) April 6, 2020
All those who welcome the MPLAD fund suspension and who tweet against my opposition to this, get off your snobbish urban perches, visit Sivaganga and see how useful the funds are to local communities and see the demand for such projects from the constituents. @ANI @PTI_News
— Karti P Chidambaram (@KartiPC) April 6, 2020
Chidambaram, who is an MP from Sivaganga constituency, did not spare senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, who supported the Centre's move.
"This can only be stated by someone who has never faced a direct election and has no constituents to answer to," he tweeted.
I welcome the decision on MPLADS. I have been arguing for long that the approximately Rs.7000 crore given to MPs & MLAs annually for development works should be used as a corpus for State funding of elections. https://t.co/DVd23LXWRl
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) April 6, 2020
Congress Spokesperson Randeep Surjewala also criticised the government saying suspending the funds for the constituencies meant under undermining the roles of their representatives in Parliament.
"Dear PM, INC supports the salary cut for MP's! Please note that MPLAD is meant to execute developmental works in the constituency. Suspending it is a huge disservice to the constituents & will undermine the role and functions of MP," he tweeted.
The Union cabinet in a decision today slashed the salaries of all central ministers and Members of Parliament, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu and all state Governors have voluntarily decided to take a 30 per cent salary cut.
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