Why just us, PM's salary must also increase, if less: Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday defended the decision to propose a 400-percent salary for legislators as a means to check graft, and said even the prime minister should get a higher salary if he draws less than Rs.1 lakh per month.

"I was reading in a newspaper that now the salaries of Delhi MLAs will be more than that of the prime minister. I advocate that our prime minister's salary should also increase if it is less than Rs.1 lakh."

"What if the prime minister goes to meet (US President Barack) Obama and Obama asks him what his salary is. What will he say that it is even less than Rs.1 lakh. The prime minister should get respectable salary."

Kejriwal said the decision to propose increases the monthly salaries of the Delhi lawmakers was to stop them from taking bribes.

The Delhi assembly has passed an amendment bill, seeking a whopping 400-percent increase in the salary of legislators and ministers. If approved by the Centre, their salary will increase from Rs.88,000 to over Rs.2 lakh per month.