Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday withdrew a government bill seeking to increase the salaries and allowances of Members of the Legislative Assembly after strong opposition from BJP legislators in the House. The legislation, L.A. Bill No.
14 of 2026, proposed increasing the monthly salary and allowances of MLAs from ₹1.30 lakh to ₹1.65 lakh, a hike of ₹35,000.
Related proposals introduced a day earlier sought to increase the Chief Minister’s salary from ₹70,000 to ₹95,000 and ministers’ pay from ₹65,000 to ₹85,000. The proposals also included raising the pension of former legislators from ₹50,000 to ₹60,000 and expanding family pension eligibility to include widowed and divorced daughters.
During the ongoing Assembly session, BJP members opposed the proposed increase, urging the government to prioritise the regularisation of daily-wage workers instead. The government eventually withdrew the bill, bringing the controversy over the proposed salary and allowance increases to an end. On the BJP’s demand for the regularisation of daily-wage workers, Abdullah questioned why the issue had remained unresolved during the previous BJP-led administration before his government came to power in 2024.
“I had the majority, but I will not pass it.
Responding to the opposition, Omar Abdullah said his government had the numbers to pass the bill but would not do so against the objection of even a single member. I will withdraw it,” the Chief Minister said. Abdullah said the proposals were based on recommendations made by a committee in which BJP legislators had also participated without raising objections at the time.
