Former President of India Pranab Mukherjee’s suggestion to raise the number of Lok Sabha constituencies to 1,000 is quite unwise (Inside pages, December 17). Even at the present level of 543 Lok Sabha and 245 Rajya Sabha MPs, the Central government spends crores of money towards their pay and other unlimited perks such as free telephones, cars, free air and rail travel, etc. An increase will only impose a heavy burden on the government exchequer. What is required instead is a cut in their existing pay and reduction in perks and amounts made under the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Schemes, or MPLADS. The bifurcation of States and creation of districts does take care of the welfare of people without the need to increase the strength of MPs. It will also be a cumbersome task to hold polls for a revised number of constituencies. It could also have a cascading effect, of States too asking for an increase in MLA constituencies. Instead, attention should be paid to increasing the productivity of MPs in highlighting and finding answers to the real problems and issues.
Manoharan Muthuswamy,
Nabadwip, Nadia, West Bengal
