While Parliament often witnesses sharp political jibes and heated exchanges, elected leaders across party lines usually unite when it comes to salary and allowance hikes. However, an exclusive RTI reply accessed by India Today-Aaj Tak reveals that only two MPs in the current Lok Sabha have chosen not to take their salary. These are Naveen Jindal of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from Kurukshetra and Dr Bimol Akoijam Angomcha of the Congress from Inner Manipur.
Naveen Jindal refuses all govt benefits
According to the Lok Sabha Secretariat, Naveen Jindal has taken this decision a step further by declining not only his salary but also all government allowances and official perks. Both MPs, representing two very different regions stretching from Kurukshetra to Imphal, have demonstrated an unusual commitment to public service.
A stark economic contrast between two MPs
Election affidavits show a significant difference in the financial backgrounds of these MPs. Naveen Jindal is among the wealthiest parliamentarians with declared assets worth Rs 1,241 crore. In comparison, Dr Bimol Akoijam has declared assets of around Rs 97 lakh. Despite this financial gap, both have pledged to serve without drawing a salary. Jindal is the only MP to reject salary, allowances and all official facilities entirely.
TDP MP tops list of wealthiest parliamentarians
Although Jindal is extremely wealthy, he is not the richest member of the House. The richest MP is Dr Chandra Shekhar Pemmasani of the TDP from Guntur with assets worth more than Rs 5,705 crore. He is followed by Konda Vishweshwar Reddy, the BJP MP from Chevella, who has declared assets of Rs 4,568 crore.
The RTI reply also noted that two of the 543 Lok Sabha seats are currently vacant. Of the existing members, 481 MPs are drawing salaries. The RTI reportedly did not clarify the status of the remaining MPs whose names did not appear in the salaried list.
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