Mahadeep Singh Jamwal
When even employees work 30- 35 years in some sectors won’t get the pension, this is the trait has been done by our brilliant politician, whereas the MLA and MPS get pension once elected so because that is in their hand to vote in-favor according to their benefits. The entire politicians are one race/face when it comes to their benefit irrespective of their parties.
o How can they get pension after five years of service when even in Army they need to put thrice as much for minimum pension and 20 years for full pension? These parameters of pension are decided by parliamentarians themselves, this authority is required to be snatched from them by constitutional provisions or amendment in the concerned Act.
o Parliamentarians should purchase their own retirement plans, just as all Indians do. After a person remains no more a parliamentarian does not deserve to be put in a separate cradle than other government employees.
o Parliamentarians should no longer vote themselves for their own pay raise and other benefits. Neither parliamentary committee should do this job as the members of such committee making any recommendations are equal beneficiary to its recommendations. An out of box committee is required of judges as judiciary is an independent pillar of democracy.
o Parliamentarians should lose their current health care system and participate in the same health care system as the Indian people.
o They are getting all only in concessions, and free, like travel, ration, electricity, water, and phone and what not, without answerable to anybody and without any output for the welfare of common man. Check and balance system is required to be introduced for parliamentarians also.
o Parliamentarians with tainted records, criminal charges and convictions, past or present should be summarily banned from the Parliament and fighting elections on any pretext or the other.
o No surrender of any subsidies by common citizens unless all subsidies available to MPs and MLA are withdrawn including subsidy food in Parliament canteen.
The Indian voters did not make all these contracts with them. Elected representatives made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Parliament/Assembly is an honor, not a lucrative career.
Concluding we find that earlier only the people doing social service use to join politics. In social service some time one has to pay from his pocket. Why this much salary is required for doing social service, which every Tom and Harry claim so. It is public money, it should be spending cautiously. Presently to large section of this fraternity claiming to work for the people, the ‘service to people’ is amassing huge wealth, dictating their non-sense, enjoying on the tax payers money. Let us give them an option with regard to pay and perks that if you are not ready to work on less salary vacate the seat, some needy will do the work. We have elected them does not mean that they can take any decision for their benefit by ignoring the sentiments of the voters. The All India Citizen Forum reported to have filed a petition quoting SC ruling that ‘No one can be a Judge in his case’ and because of this in states of USA and Switzerland referendum is made for important issues where elected representatives do not have a mandate. Whether MPs can make a law transferring the property of citizen to their name as consolidated fund is a property of all citizens. I fear we were the slaves of Britishers before independence and now we are the slaves of our own people i.e. the politicians.
It will not be fair to conclude without citing some of the quotes by great persons. James Freeman Clarke (writer and a Minister in United States) “The difference between a politician and a statesman is that a politician thinks about the next election, while the statesman thinks about the next generation” – George Bernard Shaw “He (politicians) knows nothing; and he thinks he knows everything. That points clearly to a political career” – Winston Churchill “A politician needs the ability to foretell what is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month, and next year, and to have the ability afterwards to explain why it didn’t happen” – Charles De Gaulle “In politics it is necessary either to betray one’s country or the electorate I prefer to betray the electorate”? Mark Twain “Loyalty to Country always, Loyalty to Government, when it deserves”.
(Concluded)
