CPI deplores “mock session”
The Hindu, August 22, 2010

The Communist Party of India on Saturday deplored the “mock session” held by some MPs in the Lok Sabha, saying that it tarnished the image of Parliament, besides undermining the parliamentary system.

Veteran CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta said matters of deep controversies such as the Bofors scam, demolition of the Babri Masjid and the Shah Bano case were debated, but never were parliamentary niceties so violently violated as on the issue of the salary of MPs this time round.

Though the issue of salary had been a contentious one, never had Parliament been stalled, he recalled and expressed his deep anguish over the way the matter sparked off the controversy.

Mr. Dasgupta said there was need for an upward revision of salaries, as MPs were paid less than their counterparts in many countries. But the payment made in advanced countries could not be compared with India, as it was a developing country with a large number of poor people. “An increase must be reasonable and justified in the eyes of people.”

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