MEGH WARRANT OF PRECEDENCE, MLAs WAY ABOVE TEACHERS

Legislators are listed fourth in the warrant of precedence in Meghalaya, India and comparing Members of Legislative Assembly with teachers is like differentiating between potatoes and apples.

Independent legislator Manas Chaudhuri making a comparison between teachers and public representatives in the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly, said: “people ask me, 'when teachers don’t get pension, why should MLAs get.' I tell them because the difference between the two is like potatoes and apples.”

He said MLAs’ position was much higher than teachers as they are listed number four in the warrant of precedence after the Governor, Speaker, Chief Minister, Council of Ministers in the state.

Warrant of precedence is the list of protocol through which individuals and organisations are assigned their position as per their importance by the government.

Chaudhuri, who was education minister in the previous NCP-led MPA government, came up with the comparison during introduction of the Legislative Assembly of Meghalaya (Members’ Pension) (Amendment) Bill, 2011.

He was demanding higher pension amount for ex-MLAs and said the Rs. 10,000 monthly pension and Rs. 3000 medical allowance was demeaning for the stature of MLAs who are public representatives.

The Mawprem legislator demanded that through further amendments in the Bill the pension slab for ex-MLAs must be fixed at Rs. 20,000 and Rs. 5000 for medical allowance.

Deputy Chief Minister in-charge Parliamentary Affairs, Rowell Lyngdoh rejected Chaudhuri’s suggestion stating the new Bill has raised the pension amount from Rs. 5000 to Rs. 10,000 which was a 100 per cent increase. Moreover, the medical allowance was increased from Rs. 750 to Rs. 3000.

He said the decision to raise the pension slab was taken by the Cabinet based on the recommendation of a cabinet sub-committee. “The present pension of ex-MLAs is considered adequate and cannot be raised further,” Lyngdoh said.

Chaudhuri further pointed out the basic pay of sitting MLAs is Rs. 5000 and therefore the pension of MLAs cannot be more than the basic pay of sitting MLAs and insisted the Bill must be corrected.

Chief Minister Mukul Sangma then intervened and said if required the basic pay of sitting MLAs would be rectified to avoid anomalies, but not the pension amount of ex-MLAs. The Bill was later introduced and passed by the House.