The Najma Food and Foreign Junket Bill

One of the joys of Parliament besides democracy, of course, is the full-course meal in the canteen. For Rs 33, you get rice, four chapatis, ...

One of the joys of Parliament besides democracy, of course, is the full-course meal in the canteen. For Rs 33, you get rice, four chapatis, a chicken/mutton dish, a curry, dal, two vegetarian items, raita, papad and salad. Even if you have four such meals a day in the canteen for 365 days a year for four full years, your bill, thanks to the Indian taxpayer, will be just Rs 1.92 lakh.

And Rs 38.87 lakh is the canteen bill for the office of Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson Najma Heptulla for the period April 2000-February 2004—and Parliament was off for almost half of this period.

If that’s a shocker, there’s more—her foreign travel bills. But more of the travel later. First, the food. There’s lots and lots of it.

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Take the bills raised in May 2002, which form part of a detailed file that’s now being scrutinised by the Finance section of Parliament. Records obtained by The Sunday Express show that on any given day that month, her office ordered:

• 50 to 60 packets of biscuits

• 30 to 40 packets of potato wafers

• 30 to 40 packets of cashewnuts

• 10 to 15 plates of chicken roast

• Another 10 to 15 plates of chicken tandoori

• 10 to 12 plates of fish fry

• Another 10 to 15 plates of mutton curry

• Sandwiches, ice creams, dosas, vadas by the dozen

• 15 bottles of mineral water, 20 of cold drinks and a dozen of fresh juice amounting to at least 25 to 30 everyday

• 20 cups of milk

• Besides all this, 15 full lunches have been ordered the same day.

• And, of course, about 100 cups of tea and coffee every day.

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As per rules, Heptulla is entitled to a Rs 2,000 monthly sumptuary allowance.

	I am so particular about my conduct, how can this be true?

			• Rs 38.68 lakh as office canteen bill for less than four years? This is shameful. There are expenses because there are 250 Rajya Sabha MPs, foreign delegations, journalists, I entertain them. But even then this is shocking. I am so particular about my conduct, how can this be true? • But virtually every day, this astronomical order? Could there be Committee meetings and delegations everyday? And the delegations have been billed separately. I have no idea this was happening. Whoever is signing these bills will suffer. All I can say is that I bring my own lunch from home and also my water. Story continues below this ad • If IPU was taking care of your expenses, why do you need Rs 90 lakh extra from the Govt every year? There is no limit for our expenses. It’s part of my job where I’m improving India’s relations with 145 foreign countries who are part of the IPU. In fact the country should be honoured that for the first time a woman was made president of the IPU. My budget for the IPU is cleared by the Finance Minister. All payments are by cheques and no cash has exchanged hands.

For any special occasions, her office has to give prior notice to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat specifying the number of invitations issued. Nothing of this sort was done on a daily basis. When contacted by The Sunday Express, Heptulla claimed she didn’t know that her office had raised such bills.

‘‘This is shameful but I wonder why nobody at the Rajya Sabha Secretariat ever brought this to my notice,’’ she said.

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‘‘There are 250 Rajya Sabha MPs and they come to my office and I serve them. Then there are foreign delegations, journalists who visit me and I entertain them. But even then this amount is shocking,’’ Heptulla said.

If her food bills are under scrutiny, so is her tab for foreign travel.

As president of the Geneva-based Inter Parliamentary Union from 1999 to 2004 (the last two years as Honorary President), she made several trips overseas where IPU paid for her business class air travel and the host Parliament took care of her room, board, a chauffeur-driven car and expenses of her private secretary.

Over and above this, she got the Finance Ministry to clear her expenses adding up to Rs 2.65 crore for the five years.

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• During 2001-02, according to records, Heptulla was overseas for 96 days for which the exchequer paid Rs 63.77 lakh for her travel with her staff. During the next financial year, she spent 56 days abroad, expense: Rs 53.52 lakh.

Even when her term ended as IPU president in September, 2002, and she was honorary President, she sent a letter to then Finance Minister Jaswant Singh asking that she be allowed funds remaining from her term as IPU president.

In the letter (dated November 27, 2002), a copy of which is with The Sunday Express, her justification: ‘‘I would be required to travel to a number of places and which in turn would also yield rich dividends to our country in terms of diplomacy and bilateral contacts.’’

On December 17, Jaswant Singh approved her request allowing her access to funds for that year and the next.