Harish Dwivedi, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament from Uttar Pradesh, has reportedly said that MPs are forced to steal because their salary is insufficient.
Dwivedi was attending a youth parliament in his constituency Basti when he made the remark in response to a youth’s question about the allowances of MPs , according to Aaj Tak. Dwivedi said, “An MP needs at least12 staffers, but because MPs’ salary is less than that of a senior primary school teacher, they are forced to steal,” reported Navjivan India.
He added that the salary of MPs and ministers is not enough to run their constituencies due to which they have to raise funds by ‘other means’, per reports.
He said that if one wants MPs to not steal, their salaries must be increased, reported ANI.
Harish Dwivedi BJP MP (Basti): If an MP wishes to function efficiently in their area ,they need at least 12 people. If you want that an MP must not steal then increase facilities and I’m telling you that a senior primary school teacher earns more than an MP these days. pic.twitter.com/nmNf8SFbC3
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) January 7, 2019
He said that he has spoken to the senior leaders of his party about the issue, and praised Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for increasing the salaries of MLAs.
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