Ahead of next week’s winter session of the Karnataka Legislature at the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, RTI activist and Uttara Karnataka Horata Samiti president Bhimappa Gadad has urged authorities to immediately discontinue free meals, tea, and coffee provided to MLAs.
In a letter addressed to the Speaker, Deputy Speakers, and the Chief Secretary, Gadad pointed out that MLAs already receive a daily session allowance of ₹2,500 specifically meant for food and refreshments. Offering free meals in addition, he said, amounts to improper use of public money.
He cautioned that if the practice continues, he will begin legal proceedings to recover the food-related expenditure from the Speaker and the responsible officials.
Speaking to reporters in Belagavi, Gadad said that catering costs for a 10-day session can reach ₹3 crore, even though each MLA receives enough allowance to cover their own meals. “They should eat from the allowance they are paid. They cannot take both allowance and free food,” he stated.
He also sought the withdrawal of salaries, allowances, and facilities for MLAs who remain absent during full-day sittings, and suggested imposing daily penalties rather than providing incentives such as free refreshments.
“If the government keeps serving free meals merely to boost attendance, the Legislature will start looking like a mid-day meal school. It undermines the dignity of the House,” he added.
