Fix our salary at Re.1 more than cabinet secretary: Rajya Sabha MP

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Rajya Sabha members on Wednesday demanded a "transparent mechanism" to fix their salary, while one of the members suggested that it can be fixed at Re.1 more than that of cabinet secretary.

The issue was raised by Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Agrawal in the upper house as a point of order. A point of order is a matter raised during consideration of a motion concerning the rules of parliamentary procedure.

Agrawal said the MPs salary committee gave a report about their salaries. Following media hype over the issue, the government issued a statement that it will form a super committee.

"(The) government cannot make this committee," Agrawal said.

"The pay commission report came, which said the cabinet secretary should get Rs.2.5 lakh as salary...

"If they expect good conduct from us, there should be transparency with MPs as well...it is not that we are not affected by price rise," he said.

"MPs' remuneration can be fixed at Re.1 more than cabinet secretary," Agrawal said.

According to the seventh pay commission report, the minimum pay in the government is recommended to be set at Rs.18,000 per month.

For Apex scale, the maximum pay is recommended as Rs.2.25 lakh per month and for cabinet secretary and others at the same level the maximum pay is set at Rs.2.50 lakh.

Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien said it was not a point of order but a statement.

Janata Dal-United (JD-U) leader K.C. Tyagi joined Agrawal and said the committee will be unconstitutional.

"Can any committee monitor committees made by Lok Sabha speaker and Rajya Sabha chairman," Tyagi asked.

Kurien, however, said it was just an apprehension: "Who is telling you there can be a committee to monitor parliamentary committee? Parliament is supreme, there cannot be such a committee... It is all your apprehension."