Out of 543 Lok Sabha and 242 Rajya Sabha members about 146 (104 and 42 respectively) are beneficiary of drawing public money through Parliamentary secretariat on account of availing services of their kin as their personal secretaries and assistants. Among them there are five Parliament members from Assam. It is reported that they are drawing rupees thirty thousand per month from parliamentary secretariat on account of their family members like father, wife, daughter etc. According to sources in parliamentary secretariat, Rajya Sabha member Bhubaneswar Kalita, Barpeta’s MP Ismail Hussain, Guwahati’s MP Bijoya Chakravorty, Nagaon’s MP Rajen Gohain and BPF MP S K Bwismuthiary are drawing all benefits on these accounts.
According to the norms of parliamentary secretariat, whatever the benefits are allowed to MPs personal assistants, their kilns are drawing regularly. Sources in parliamentary secretariat reveal that Siddhartha kalita, son of Bhubaneswar Kalita is personal assistant of the MP, Suman Haripriya, the daughter of Bijoya Chakravorty, MP, is her PA. Similarly, the BJP MP Rajen Gohain has appointed his daughter Sushmita Gohain as his PA. Ismail Hussain is also not a person to remain silent. He has also got registered his son Shahensha Mohammed Salim as his PA and BPF MP has got his two sons as his PAs. These five MPs from Assam are not the only accused of such offence. Among 146 ,there are two Tollywood stars and Trinamool Congress MPs Tapas Paul and Satabdi Roy. Satabdi’s father Shailen Roy and Tapas’s wife Nandini and daughter Mohini Paul.
According to sources out of 251 Lok Sabha members 202 have appointed additional 202 people for their convenience on the monthly salary of Rs.2000 (two thousand) to eight thousands per month. One MP from Assam has two PAs at Delhi. One has been appointed to look after the work in absence of the MP in Delhi. Even a powerful minister had sent a private secretary to London for some special work. It is strange to know for which important work the low paid member was sent to London. Besides, in a costly place like Delhi how a MP’s PA manages to have vehicles, night club membership and luxurious flat etc. The sources reveal that none of the PAs stay in Delhi permanently, which is against the rule. Former secretary general of the Lok Sabha has said that among the 14 rules making committee members 4 are involved in this illegal work. Among the 146 such members 38 belong to BJP, 36 to Congress, BSP 15, Samajwadi Party 12, DMK 8, BJD 7,JD(U) 6 and rest others. According to rules making committee chairman, Sisram Ola, although there is no rule in connection to such appointments, the MPs should try to maintain purity in such appointments. It is better to keep such things away. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has termed it as a vital political issue which encourages family rule in this democratic country. But the leaders like Bhubaneswar Kalita and Bijoya Chakravorty avoided to give any proper reply in these questions.
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