Government’s decision to suspend MPLADS funds for two years evoked mixed reactions with many Opposition parties including Congress opposing the move but Rajya Sabha MP from Karnataka Jairam Ramesh had a different take.
“I welcome the decision on MPLADS. I have been arguing for long that the approximately Rs.7000 crore given to MPs and MLAs annually for development works should be used as a corpus for State funding of elections,” said Ramesh inviting sharp reaction from former Finance Minister P Chidambaram’s son Karthi, who strongly opposed the government’s decision.
‘This can only be stated by someone who has never faced a direct election and has no constituents to answer to,” said Karthi P Chidambaram replying on Twitter to Ramesh.
The Sivaganga MP sarcastically said the government can garner funds by cancelling all its “vanity projects” and by reducing the money allotted for publicity of each department.
“MP LAD funds are used to fund small projects like installing a borewell, building a bus shelter and installing CCTV cameras in localities. If you even take that away, then what is the purpose of me being an MP. Already, we don’t have anything to do inside Parliament. With MP LADs also being taken away, we will only be churning out recommendation letters,” he said.
BJP MP from Karnataka Sumalatha Ambareesh, however, welcomed the move. Replying to a tweet that raised questions on the decision, the MP said, “your understanding of how central schemes work in states and rural areas needs to be corrected, apart from MPLADS , there are so many central schemes which fund our rural areas , the concept u are projecting is not true at all.”
CPI-ML leader Dipankar Bhattacharya, was also critical of the government’s decision. “So Modi govt suspends MPLADS schemes for two years to channelize Rs 7,900 crore to the consolidated fund to battle COVID-19. But rather than stalling local area development across India for 2 years, why not drop the Rs 20K Central Vista project for makeover of Lutyen's Delhi?,” he asked.
The scheme, which was launched in December 1993 with Rs 5 lakh allocation to each MP underwent many changes and its allocation was raised to Rs 1 crore and then finally to Rs 5 crore per annum.
Lok Sabha MP and Congress leader from Punjab Maneesh Tewari wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that as an MP who represents a predominately rural constituency, while he fully supports 30% cut in his salary, the “suspension of MPLADS is a bit of an overstretch” and a “kneejerk reaction”.
He argued MPLADS is a targeted and nimble instrument to customise micro level interventions to alleviate distress. “I think MPLAD Funds need to be restored. Please re-think it once again. It will hurt poor most.”
His party colleague from Assam Gourav Gogoi wondered will the Central Government ensure that the two years of MPLAD funds that it will absorb will be used to develop healthcare facilities in his Kaliabor Lok Sabha constituency? “The people of Kaliabor should not be starved of funds due to the centralisation mindset of PMO,” he said.
Shashi Tharoor wrote a letter to the Prime Minister requesting him a reconsideration of the decision on MPLADS. “The money can certainly be earmarked for the fight against COVID 19 but should be spent in constituencies and not allocated by a remote Central Govt,” he said in the letter.