Baijayant Panda seeks an End to Subsidised Food at Parliament Canteen

BJD leader and Lok Sabha MP from Kendrapara, Baijayant ‘Jay’ Panda, has taken a bold and progressive step by writing to the Lok Sabha Speaker yesterday, seeking an end to subsidy availed by the Members of Parliament at the Parliament Canteen. As the issue has gathered momentum on mainstream as well as social media, Jay Panda drew the Speaker’s attention to this matter.

“Many citizens also expressing similar views. I have been supporting those views in public and on social media, and this is now the next logical step to raise the matter with the Lok Sabha Speaker, who is the right person to take a decision on this matter,” said Baijayant Panda.

“On the matter of LPG subsidies, the recent government campaign to encourage those citizens who can afford it to voluntarily give it up has been very successful. About a million citizens, including many MPs, have surrendered their subsidised LPG. This logic recognises that subsidies should be reserved only for the poorest of the poor. It’s high time we (MPs) demonstrate that we too support that ethos. Ending subsidised food in Parliament will only echo the growing public sentiment”, he added.

“I am confident that many MPs will support this initiative. I plan to write to all my colleagues in both the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha soon. For many years i have taken a public stand against our pervasive “VVIP Culture”, which I believe is ripe for change. Of course, there’s a long way to go and it won’t all change at once, but gradually, brick by brick, it will…”, he concluded.