For whom the boons toll

Sonia Gandhi may have put paid to MPs’ hopes of acquiring the ultimate status symbol in the capital, the red beacon on the car, but this was only one of the privileges to which they consider themselves entitled. For instance, even as the citizens they represent bear the brunt of rising food prices, MPs continue to avail themselves of subsidised food in the Parliament canteen. But they still want more. So much so that Rajya Sabha MP Rama Chandra Khuntia thought it fit to raise the issue in the House of how MPs were being forced to pay up Rs 22 at a toll plaza. The MP identity card is not being respected, he alleged, and demanded that exemptions from toll tax on highways across India be ensured. This obviously struck a chord; MPs cutting across party lines jumped up from their benches and supported his demand. Khuntia also demanded that public sector officers from companies like BSNL and MTNL should speak to them respectfully, befitting their status as MPs. Clearly, it’s never enough for the people’s representatives.