Need Salary!! but for what??

‘Why do you want to enter politics?’ ask this question to any aspiring politician and if you are his confidant, then the answer will be ‘lot's of power and money’.

Then why the entire furore politicians are making in demand over their salary hike. Is the fact hidden that politicians in India live a life no less in grandeur than a King?, in fact even the CEO of big MNC’s cannot afford living like their political counterparts.

Let’s try to find out the rationale behind the demand from MP’s for the same.

One factor could be the ‘play of ego’!! “How a class one officer in SAIL, NTPC or any MNC can earn double the amount I do, when in case I am far above him in hierarchy”, Fair enough a reason if the politicians ignore asking themselves ‘who does more work, the SAIL/MNC guy or I’ . And fair enough a reason if they can ignore the fact that the free accommodation they receive on Lutyen’s zone in Delhi, costs near 2.4 lacks a month in rental at market price.

Other reason could be ‘to ensure and to attract intellects, efficient people in to politics it is bare necessary to pay good salaries’. But wasn’t politics or parliamentary setup introduced for the service of society? Isn’t that we require those people in the setup who wish to work for people and not for money (which as a matter of fact is provided in abundance).

Or the reason that ‘once the politicians start receiving good amount of salary, their appetite for money received through unfair means will reduce and so will the corruption’. But quite alarming is the reality that compared to 80’s and 90’s, corruption has increased in direct proportion to increase in salaries now. In fact the greed for money will increase, take an example of a man who earlier earned Rs 1000 a month and use to ask for Rs 10 as bribe, now with increase in his Salary to Rs 3000 while powers remaining the same, wouldn’t he be expecting more money as bribe( as Rs 10 has reduced relative importance for him now).

Between all this, one funny and one of its kind thing is taking place, nowhere in the world people are the sole members of the committee which is formed to decide their own salary structure (as Govinda says ‘this happens only in India ;)

My personal view over the issue is, incentivise the remuneration structure of MP’s. Put some amount as basic remuneration and link other as incentives based on performance or development work undertaken ( May be this way for their own benefit they start doing work).