Subramanian Swamy not keen on forgoing MP salary for 23 'wasted' days

A day after NDA MPs decided to relinquish their salaries, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy on Thursday refrained from supporting the move.

Swamy said that he attended Parliament proceedings daily and it was not his fault that no business could be transacted in the House.

"I used to go daily, if House did not run, it is not my fault," the BJP leader told ANI.

Swamy also said that he would not forego his salary until asked by President to do so.

"I am President's representative, until he says so how can I say I'll not take my salary," Swamy asked.

Swamy's reaction came as Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar on Wednesday announced that the NDA MPs would not accept their salaries and allowances for 23 days of the Budget session as the Parliament did not function.

"BJP-NDA MPs have decided to not take salary and allowances for 23 days as the parliament has not been functional. This money is given to serve the people & if we are not able to do so we have no right to take the people's money," Kumar had said.

The Houses of the Parliament have seen repeated disruptions in proceedings because of various protests and agitations by the members.

The Cauvery dispute, between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, has been the reason for a lot of conflicts, with MPs from political parties of both states agitating in the Rajya Sabha regularly, causing untimely adjournment of the house.

Recurrent protests and agitations by Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MPs have also seen daily proceedings of the house frequently disrupted.

Similarly, the No-Confidence motion by the TDP has also caused a lot of ruckus.