UP BJP lawmaker opts for salary cut, seeks use of development fund to fight coronavirus

A BJP lawmaker and senior party functionary from Uttar Pradesh has opted for a 30 per cent cut in his salary and offered the state government to make use of his constituency development fund of Rs 5 crore for the next two years in fight against the coronavirus.

The decision from Vijay Bahadur Pathak, a BJP MLC and party general secretary in the state, follows the Union government's announcement Monday that the salary of MPs will be slashed by 30 per cent and their MPLAD fund suspended for two years to use this money in dealing with the fallout of the coronavirus outbreak.

Pathak also expressed hope that state governments will follow suit as it is "natural" for them to do so after an initiative like this from the likes of the President, state governors and the Prime Minister.

Pathak said he has written to UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to make use of his local area development fund amounting to Rs 5 crore in the next two years in fighting the pandemic.

The central government had said the President, the Vice President, governors of states have also voluntarily decided to take a pay cut as a social responsibility.