Rajya Sabha is now a crorepatis' club

Also, 37 RS members have pending criminal cases, says ADR report

GN Bureau | April 9, 2010




The members of Upper House of the Parliament are growing richer. More than 50 percent of the Rajya Sabha members are crorepatis, says a report released on Tuesday by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

“A total of 98 Rajya Sabha MPs out of analyzed 183 Rajya Sabha MPs, or 54 per cent, are crorepatis,” says the report.

The report also found out that amongst major parties, 65 percent of Indian National Congress (INC) Rajya Sabha MPs are crorepatis, whereas 53 percent of BJP Rajya Sabha MPs are crorepatis.

Rahul Bajaj is the richest Rajya Sabha member with assets of Rs 300 crores followed by M.A.M. Ramaswamy of JD (S) (Rs 278 crores) from Karnataka. The poorest Rajya Sabha members are D. Raja of CPI, who's from Tamil Nadu, and Saman Pathak of CPI(M) from West Bengal. Both these members have shown their assets as zero. An earlier ADR report had revealed that the current Lok Sabha has 315 crorepatis out of 543 MPs (58 per cent).

Out of 219 MPs in the current Rajya Sabha, 37 MPs have criminal cases pending against them, says the report. In fact, 17 percent of the current Rajya Sabha have in their affidavits declared they have criminal cases against them.

The report also says that 12 MPs (out of 219, i.e. 5%) declared serious criminal cases pending against them, which include attempt to murder, kidnapping, abduction, voluntary causing hurt by dangerous weapons etc.

As the deadlock on the women’s bill continues, the report shows that the Rajya Sabha has abysmally low women members. The figures show that only 21 (9 percent) of all current Rajya Sabha members are women.

Read the report here.

Comments

 

Other News

Ahmedabad district railway network to be expanded

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by prime minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved the Ahmedabad (Sarkhej) – Dholera Semi High-Speed Double Line project of Ministry of Railways with total cost of Rs. 20,667 crore (approx.). It will be Indian Railways 1st semi high-speed project

Indian Ocean more contested than ever: Western Naval Command Chief

The Indian Ocean is becoming increasingly contested and strategically significant as the Indo-Pacific emerges as the defining geopolitical theatre of the 21st century, Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Western Naval Command, has said.   Spe

Why the judiciary needs much more than four more judges

India has a particular form of governance theatre: the bold declaration that appears to be action but is actually a way of avoiding action. The Union Cabinet on May 5 approved a Bill to increase the sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court from 34 to 38. The decision has been touted as a step toward judici

Wisdom stories that don’t preach but encourage reflection

The Foundation Of A Fulfilling Life: Lessons from Indian Scriptures Deepam Chatterjee Aleph Books, 264 pages, Rs 899  

Citizens of the Bay: Why BIMSTEC matters now

The international order is drifting into a dangerous grey zone as the very powers that built today`s multilateral system begin to chip away at it. The United States has increasingly walked away from global rules and forums when they no longer suit its interests, while China has rushed to fill the vacuum on

PM salutes armed forces on one year of Operation Sindoor

Prime minister Narendra Modi on Thursday saluted the courage, precision and resolve of the armed forces on the completion of one year of Operation Sindoor.   The PM said that the armed forces had given a fitting response to those who dared to attack innocent Indians at Pahalgam.&


Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter