Austerity for Thee, Luxury for Me: MPs Heroically Hike Their Salaries Again
Rejoice, fellow Indians! At a time when you’re pinching pennies, delaying doctor visits, and selling kidneys (figuratively… we hope) to pay rent, our ever-dedicated Members of Parliament have decided that they deserve a little something extra. After all, who among us hasn’t looked at their ₹2.25 lakh monthly salary and thought, “How does one even survive on this peasant’s pittance?”
Well, good news! The central government has nobly approved a 24% salary hike for MPs. Their monthly income will now be ₹2.81 lakh. Yes, you read that right—just the monthly pay. This excludes all the other little perks like free travel, generous pensions, subsidised meals, and housing that looks more like a palace than an office. Clearly, the poor dears were suffering.
Let’s not forget that this benevolent raise is retrospective from January 2023. Because what’s the point of a salary hike if you can’t backdate it and sweep in a fat lump sum? Meanwhile, millions of Indians are still waiting for their PF withdrawals, salary arrears, and, let’s be honest, jobs.
Now before you judge, let’s look at the “burden” our MPs carry. They heroically endure air-conditioned sessions (when they bother to attend), shout across the aisle with the kind of energy missing in actual governance, and often take sabbaticals disguised as “study tours.” It’s gruelling work. Surely, they deserve more than a mere ₹2.25 lakh/month. In fact, how did we let them suffer for so long?
Let’s revisit the glorious history of MP salary hikes. In 2001, they were scraping by on ₹1,500/month—clearly a humanitarian crisis. Then came 2010: the salary was bumped to ₹50,000—a modest 3,233% hike. By 2018, they generously gave themselves a 100% raise to ₹1,00,000. Now, in 2023, they’ve upped it again. Inflation? Oh please. When did MPs ever settle for reality?
And what a slap in the face to inflation it is. In 2018, inflation was just 3.94%. But MPs? They doubled their salary. Because if onions are expensive, shouldn’t the people shouting about it in Parliament get paid more than those crying about it in markets?
Let’s compare this with the average salaried Indian. In 2023, a salaried worker made about ₹19,492 a month—before taxes. That’s roughly what an MP’s daily allowance looks like. MPs now make over six times what a salaried Indian does, and we’re supposed to believe this is “standardisation”? If anything, this is standardisation with Dubai real estate prices, not Indian living standards.
And here’s the cherry: even the highest tax-exempt income for citizens—₹7 lakh per year—translates to ₹58,333/month. MPs crossed that benchmark before breakfast. So no, this isn’t aligning with the salaried class. This is elite gymnastics in salary inflation.
Let’s also appreciate the timing. The economy is wobbly, people are still recovering from pandemic-era job losses, and inflation is gnawing at savings. But hey, if there’s one group that needs to be shielded from economic hardship, it’s surely our MPs—most of whom are already crorepatis. Because billionaires also need salary hikes, apparently.
In conclusion, dear citizens, let’s not grumble. Let us instead clap—with both hands, and perhaps both feet—for the brave parliamentarians who have taken such a bold stand for themselves. They’ve shown us that austerity is for textbooks and lectures to the public—not for Parliament.
So the next time you’re cutting corners on groceries, medical bills, or school fees, remember: at least your MP is living well. And isn’t that the real dream of democracy?
