Who are the Lok Sabha MPs who don't take salary - or even perks? RTI reveals

Members of Parliament are often seen coming together across party lines when it comes to increasing their salaries and perks. But there are exceptions. An exclusive RTI response accessed by India Today reveals that only two MPs in the current Lok Sabha have chosen not to draw their salary - one from the BJP and the other from the Congress.

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The two MPs represent constituencies separated by 2,575 kilometres - the distance between Kurukshetra and Imphal. However, one of them has gone a step further: he has chosen not to take even the government perks and allowances that come with the office.

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According to the RTI reply from the Lok Sabha Secretariat, the two MPs are Naveen Jindal, MP from Kurukshetra, and Dr. Bimol Akoijam Angomcha, MP from Inner Manipur.

According to their election affidavits, the two MPs come from very different financial backgrounds. Naveen Jindal, the MP from Kurukshetra, has declared assets worth ₹1,241 crore, while Dr. Bimol Akoijam Angomcha, who represents Inner Manipur, has declared assets of about ₹97 lakh.

However, among the two, Naveen Jindal stands out for another reason. According to the RTI reply, he is the only MP who has chosen not to avail any salary, allowances or official perks at all.

Jindal’s decision is notable given that he is among the wealthiest MPs in the current Lok Sabha. Yet he is not the richest. That distinction belongs to Dr. Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani (TDP), MP from Guntur, who has declared assets worth over ₹5,705 crore - more than four times Jindal’s wealth. He is followed by Konda Vishweshwar Reddy (BJP), MP from Chevella, who has declared assets worth over ₹4,568 crore.

The RTI response also sheds light on the broader picture inside Parliament. It states that 481 sitting Members of the Lok Sabha are currently drawing salaries.

The Lok Sabha has 543 seats, though two are currently vacant. The RTI reply does not clearly explain the status of the remaining MPs who are not listed among those drawing salaries.