Sena MPs won't forgo salary, RLSP says unaware of decision

BJP MP Subramanian Swamy also said he went to the Rajya Sabha daily and it was not his fault if the the House did not run.

Differences emerged in the National Democratic Alliance on Thursday after a Bharatiya Janata Party minister announced that members of Parliament of the ruling alliance would forgo their salary for a period of 23 days when Parliament could not function, with the Shiv Sena asserting that its MPs will claim their salaries, while another ally saying it was unaware of the decision.

Union minister Ananth Kumar had on Thursday said that MPs of the ruling NDA would forgo their salary for the 23 days of the ongoing budget session when Parliament did not function because of protests by the Congress and other political parties.

Reacting to the move, the Sena said the BJP did not consult it and alleged the government was responsible for the virtual washout of the second leg of the Budget Session.

The party claimed that BJP did not want Parliament to function due to the Karnataka Assembly polls next month.

Sena MP Arvind Sawant lashed out at the BJP over Kumar's announcement saying, "They (BJP) did not consult us before taking the decision. They only remember allies when there are presidential and vice-presidential polls."

Sawant said his party's MPs had been doing their work.

"Even if Parliament was not functioning, we have held meetings with ministries to address problems faced by our people," he said.

The Shiv Sena is 'not on the same page' with the BJP on the issue, he added.

With 18 Lok Sabha MPs, the Sena is the second largest constituent of the NDA after the BJP which has 275 members.

Rashtriya Lok Samta Party chief and Union minister Upendra Kushwaha told reporters that he was unaware of the decision about NDA MPs not claiming salaries.

"I am not aware. I do not know," he said.

BJP MP Subramanian Swamy also differed with the decision of MPs not claiming their salaries, saying he went to the Rajya Sabha daily and it was not his fault if the the House did not run.

Asked about the views expressed by the Sena and the RLSP, Kumar insisted that all NDA MPs will forgo their salaries.