The DMK has slammed the Tamil Nadu government’s move to nearly double the salaries of MLAs, even as it came under strong criticism for its failure to hike wages of bus drivers and pay them their long-pending dues.
In a tweet on Friday, DMK Working President MK Stalin said that DMK MLAs will not take the salary hike that was passed on Wednesday. The Tamil Nadu Payment of Salaries (Amendment) Bill proposes to increase the monthly salary and other allowances paid to every MLA in Tamil Nadu to Rs 1.05 lakh from Rs 55,000 presently.
Stalin in his tweet said, “At a time when the government is facing severe cash crunch, at a time when the government is refusing to give 0.13% hike to transport workers, the government giving a 100% salary hike to the MLAs is strongly opposed by the DMK; in addition to this we have written a letter stating that our MLAs won’t be accepting the salary hike."
கடுமையான நிதிநெருக்கடியிலும், போக்குவரத்துத் தொழிலாளர்களுக்கு 0.13% ஊதிய உயர்வு கூட கொடுக்க முடியாத நிலையிலும் உள்ள அரசு, MLA-க்களின் ஊதிய உயர்வை மட்டும் 100% உயர்த்துவதை சட்டமன்றத்தில் கடுமையாக திமுக எதிர்த்ததோடு எங்கள் MLAக்களுக்கு சம்பள உயர்வு பெறமாட்டோம் என கடிதம் அளித்தோம்.
— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) January 12, 2018
Leader of Opposition and DMK’s working President MK Stalin raised objections when the Bill was being introduced, stating, “We are strongly opposing the draft which provides Salary hike for MLAs. At the time of the crisis if this government passes the bill, people will laugh at us.”
On Monday, Transport Minister MR Vijayabaskar said, “Despite severe cash crunch, we are ready to dispense salary increase of 2.44%.” The striking unions had asked for an increase of 2.57% in addition to the previous dues owed to them which had not been paid for a long time. The Madras High Court directed the employees to resume duty but many unions had refused to heed the order. A week after the government employees began protesting for a wage revision, drivers and support staff of the Tamil Nadu State Transportation Corporation (TNSTC) finally called off the protest on Thursday.