Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Withdraws Salary Increase Bills Amid BJP Opposition

The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly has rescinded three proposed Bills aimed at increasing the salaries and allowances of the Chief Minister, ministers, and legislators. This decision follows opposition from members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who argued that any salary increments should be contingent upon addressing the longstanding demands of daily-wage and casual workers in the Union Territory.

Currently, there are approximately 105,000 daily-wage and casual workers in Jammu and Kashmir. Many of these workers have threatened significant protests if their demands—including regularisation of jobs and enhanced wages—are not met by 10 October.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah stated that the Bills had previously received approval from a House Committee, which was led by BJP Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) Surjit Singh Slathia. He noted that no committee member provided dissenting feedback prior to the introduction of the Bills. However, after the BJP voiced its opposition, Abdullah decided to withdraw the proposals, stating that while the BJP members favoured salary increases, they were politicising the situation by highlighting the plight of daily-wage workers. "I was never in favour of [the increase in salaries]. I had said if a single member opposes it, it will never pass. I withdraw the Bills," he commented.

Following this withdrawal, the Assembly voted in support of the decision. The two proposed Bills aimed to elevate the monthly salary of the Chief Minister from ₹70,000 to ₹95,000 and that of ministers from ₹65,000 to ₹85,000. The third Bill sought to enhance the monthly salary and allowances of the MLAs from ₹1.30 lakh to ₹1.65 lakh. This would involve a rise in base salary from ₹60,000 to ₹80,000, an increase in constituency allowance from ₹60,000 to ₹70,000, and a rise in medical allowance from ₹10,000 to ₹15,000.

Surjit Singh Slathia explained that the 10-member House Committee had conducted a review of the salary structures of ministers and legislators across various Union Territories and states before putting forth its recommendations. However, he observed that the government had taken no concrete steps regarding the regularisation or wage increases for daily-wage workers. "And today we said in the Assembly that we are not in favour of this hike until the daily wagers' issue is resolved," Slathia declared.

BJP MLA R.S. Pathania stressed that the government should prioritise the issues faced by daily-wage workers. Pathania insisted that should an increase in salaries for ministers and MLAs occur, it should adhere to the original recommendations of the House Committee. He described the committee's recommendations as having been modified in an "illegal and unconstitutional" manner.

In contrast, senior National Conference leader and Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary questioned the legitimacy of the BJP’s objections. He pointed out that concerns should have been raised at the time the committee was established under Slathia. Choudhary alleged that the committee had suggested salaries of ₹3 lakh for MLAs, along with a pension of ₹1.5 lakh and salaries for personal assistants. He accused the BJP of opposing the Bills merely because the Chief Minister did not align with the committee's proposed salary figure of ₹3 lakh for MLAs, subsequently linking the matter to the demands of daily-wage workers.