Parliament adjourned sine die

     New Delhi: Parliament was on Wednesday adjourned sine die with the Government saying that all business was over with the passage of the finance bill and there was no business pending for a post-recess session. Otherwise after a recess the Houses were scheduled to meet in May for a week. Though the Union Government's official reason cited for adjourning the Parliament sine die is "completion of all financial business and no other business in offer", its move met with a lot of criticism. The opposition alleged that Parliament was adjourned sine die to bring in an ordinance solely for the purpose of "saving UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi from a certain disqualification" as MP (holding an office of profit).

     The mod that was building up could be gauged from the customary Parliamentary Affairs Minister's press conference, where the media grilled Priyaranjan Dasmunshi for this "arbitrary" decision for the simple reason of saving Congress president Sonia Gandhi from the controversy over holding an "office of profit". The decision also received criticism from the Opposition and also from its alliance partner - the Samajwadi Party - who chanted slogans like "Shame on UPA Government" and "UPA Government murdabad".

     The issue (of the Government's likely move to adjourn the House sine die) rocked both the Houses of parliament since morning. The Lok Sabha was adjourned on as many as six times. Members belonging to the BJP and the Samajwadi Party trooped into the Well the House raising slogans against Election Commissioner BB Tandon, who had recommended the disqualification of SP Rajya Sabha member Jaya Bachchan on the grounds that she was holding the office of chairperson of the Uttar Pradesh Film Development Council. They demanded calling back of Tandon. Questioning the Government's move to bring an ordinance to the effect of defining the "office of profit" about which law is silent, the agitated members were of the opinion that why the Government didn't bring in the planned ordinance, or any required legislation, while Jaya's case was being decided for the last two years. But, by the end of the day, Dasmunsi had a different reason to recite before the media. He said that the Parliament was not adjourned because the Government wanted to bring an ordinance regarding "office of profit" and exclude the post of UPA Chairperson from it, but only because no other important finance business was left to be discussed before the two Houses of Parliament. He further said that curtailing the Session of the Parliament and adjourning it sine die, was not unprecedented. Citing instances when the former BJP-led NDA government had adjourned the parliament in the similar manner, he said that the Parliament was adjourned on Dec 21, 2003 and then on February 4, 2004. Further, he said that on March 13, 1994 the House was adjourned sine die despite the fact that it was to be reconvened on June 19, 1994.

    According to television news reports, the Manmohan Singh Government planned ordinance is aimed at amending the Parliament Prevention of Disqualification Act to bail out some of the top politicians, including UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, who are members of Parliament and also allegedly hold offices of profit. If the amendment goes through, it will ensure that leaders such as Sonia Gandhi, Somnath Chatterjee and Congress leader Karan Singh are not disqualified for holding offices of profit. The draft of the ordinance, which has reportedly been finalised, will amend the Parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) Act, 1959 and exempt a fresh batch of offices, including that of the National Advisory Council chairman (Sonia Gandhi), chairman of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (Karan Singh), state development boards, textile boards etc. The draft ordinance will amend Section 3 of the PPDA and be subsequently introduced as a Bill in the current session as Parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) Amendment Bill. While the Government is trying to take advantage of the Parliament recess in between the ongoing Budget session, the move is seen as unprecendented as never before has an ordinance been brought under such circumstances. Generally, an ordinance is brought only if it is needed to be enforced in between two Parliament session. According to reports, the UPA government is in a hurry to push the ordinance through given the fact that after Jaya Bachchan's disqualification because of her holding the post of the chairperson of UP Film Development Corporation, there has been a flood of complaints against as many as 44 prominent MPs. Prominent among them include Sonia Gandhi (Chairman of National Advisory Council and several Government-aided trusts), Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee (Chairman, West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation), Karan Singh (Chairman, Indian Council of Cultural Relations), Union Minister T Subbirami Reddy (Chairman, Tirupati trust).

NDA leaders meet Kalam over 'office of profit'

     New Delhi: A delegation of National Democratic Alliance, led by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee met President A P J Abdul Kalam today and submitted a memorandum to him alleging that the Parliament has been adjourned sine die solely for the purpose of "saving UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi from a certain disqualification" as MP. The 61-member delegation urged the President not to give his consent to any Ordinance on the issue of office of profit. "We strongly condemn the brazen assault that the UPA government has mounted on the established principle and practice of the parliamentary system by getting both the Houses adjourned sine die, paving the way for Parliament to be prorogued. This has been done solely and exclusively for the purpose of promulgating an ordinance to save Shrimati Sonia Gandhi, president of the Congress party and chairperson of the National Advisory Council, from certain disqualification on grounds of holding an office of profit," the memorandum stated.

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