Amid farmers’ protest over debt, TN MLAs enjoy 90% pay hike

At a time when farmers have been protesting for loan waiver in 32 districts of Tamil Nadu which have been declared drought-hit by the government, the MLAs of the southern state awarded over 90 per cent salary hike to themselves on Wednesday.

The MLAs who would previous get a salary of ₹55,000 per month, will get a monthly salary of ₹1.5 lakh from now onwards. Also, the pension of MLAs has been increased from ₹12,000 to ₹20,000 and the constituency development fund from ₹2 crore to ₹2.6 crore.

Coincidently, Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Agrawal also raised the issue of salary hike for Members of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, lamenting that their salary is less than what their secretaries get.

The distressed farmers from Tamil Nadu have been protesting at Jantar Mantar for a loan waiver and drought-relief package. They have been demanding a ₹40,000 crore drought relief package, farm loan waiver and setting up of the Cauvery Management Board by the Centre and crop insurance for individual farmers besides remunerative prices for their produce.

Pertinently, Tamil Nadu is witnessing the worst drought in 140 years due to several failed rainy seasons. This has bolstered vulnerabilities of low-income rural communities, especially farmers heavily dependent on rainfed agriculture.

Reacting to the salary hike, Ayyakannu, who is leading the sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar, said: “We’ve been protesting here without shirt and dhoti. CM came here and promised that he will do something for us. But he has done nothing,” he said. Comparing hiked salary of an MLA and the minimum support price of paddy, he added, “In 1970, the price for 60 kg paddy was ₹40 and MLAs salary was 250. Now the MLAs salary is ₹1.5 lakh but paddy’s price is ₹800 only. This is pathetic.”

The decision of hefty-hike in the salaries of MLAs has not cut no ice with social media users. Many questioned on twitter the moral grounds and rationale of legislators whereas others took pot shots at the MLAs. Here’s a selection:

Earlier on July 16, the distressed farmers returned to Jantar Mantar with skulls and bones to renew their agitation after their 41-day protest in the national capital earlier this year. During their protests, distressed farmers took to desperate measures to get their demands fulfilled. At least 70 protesting farmers were detained by the police during a demonstration near Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence on Lok Kalyan Marg on Sunday.

In the past, distressed farmers led by Ayyakannu staged bizarre and shocking protests by holding human skulls outside the Prime Minister’s house, stripping naked outside Rashtrapati Bhavan, drinking urine, eating mice and grass besides conducting mock funerals.