700 MPs UPA's latest targets in the austerity drive

AUSTERITY DRIVE: New austerity measures bar MPs from holding meetings outside Delhi and going abroad.

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New Delhi : The race for austerity, which has so far been focussed on ministers and senior politicians, is now set to hit the Members of Parliament. Nearly 700 MPs are likely to lose their daily allowances, a few air tickets and regular junkets.

The reason is the Government's plan to trim the expenditure of Parliament committees which are represented by MPs from all parties.

• There are nearly 50 Parliamentary committees from both houses of Parliament.

• Each MP is a member of at least two committees.

• They meet at least once a month.

• The committees travel abroad and across the country.

• MPs get executive class tickets and five-star accommodation.

• Total expenditure on the committees is over Rs 100 Crore a year.

However, new austerity measures bar them from holding meetings outside Delhi and going abroad. But not everyone is happy.

Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, K Rahman Khan says, "It is not that MPs are spending a lot. MPs stay also at Government guest houses and not just at five-star hotels."

Some MPs feel that the new rules are unfair and will prevent them from being genuine peoples' representatives.

JD(U) Chief Sharad Yadav says, "Make a policy and bring in bill. It's not proper to ask everyone."

Our MPs have always been known as khaas aadmis or VIPs in our country, but if some of their Parliamentary privileges are cut down, they may well end up being what their original role was intended to be - that of a representative of an aam admi.