KATHMANDU: Harka Raj Rai, the Chairman of the Shram Sanskriti Party and a Member of the House of Representatives, has publicly denounced the legal provision that allows lawmakers to employ personal secretaries.
Widely recognized as Harka Sampang, the former Mayor of Dharan argues that this practice imposes a staggering financial burden on the national treasury. He believes the policy should be abolished to prevent the drainage of public funds into administrative perks.
Through a social media post, Sampang provided a detailed mathematical breakdown to illustrate his concerns. He pointed out that even if one assumes a modest monthly salary of 30,000 rupees per secretary, the cost for all 275 members of parliament reaches 8.25 million rupees every month.
Over a full year, this figure climbs to 99 million rupees, culminating in a massive expenditure of Rs 495 million over a single five-year parliamentary term.
Sampang maintains that these billions of rupees, sourced directly from taxpayer money, would be far better spent on infrastructure development or other productive sectors that benefit the general public.
Since his transition from local government to the federal parliament, he has consistently advocated for the reduction of wasteful government spending and the promotion of a labor-focused culture. His latest stance continues to challenge the established norms of political privilege in Nepal.
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