BJP for session on 'office of profit'

     New Delhi: The Bhartiya Janata Party on Friday demanded the immediate reconvening of Parliament to discuss the holding of office of profit issue. "We want that House be soon called to meet in order to discuss this issue," BJP President Rajnath Singh said. Singh, however, refused to divulge the party's stand on the Bill defining the issue of profit if it is brought on the floor of the house. "The party would take a decision on it only when the Bill is placed before the Parliament," he said. Singh also described the National Advisory Council (NAC) as an extra-constitutional authority that was not required. "We feel that this power (implementation of the Common Minimum Program) should be vested with Prime Minister and not an extra- Constitutional authority (NAC). She (Sonia Gandhi) very well knew that she was the architect of this super-structure and there was no escape route for her except to face disqualification through a process of law already in motion," Singh said.

More members resign

      Meanwhile, several Members of Parliament, including Karan Singh, Kapila Vatsyayan and Congress Lok Sabha MP from Mumbai North East constituency Gurudas Kamat, have submitted their resignations from both Houses of Parliament in an attempt to claim and cement their moral high ground. Singh termed Sonia Gandhi's resignation as a shame for democracy, and added that the "Congress has once again conspired by trying again to bring an ordinance after adjourning the Parliament sine die without giving any convincing explanation for their action."

Somnath Chatterjee refuses to resign

      New Delhi: Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee on Friday rejected the demand for his resignation maintaining that he was not holding any office of profit nor had he violated any provisions of the Constitution. "On mere baseless allegations and insinuations and on the basis of reckless tantrums of some disgruntled persons, I shall not refuse to discharge my obligations as a member of Parliament, to which my voters have sent me and also my duties as the Speaker of Lok Sabha, to which I have the honour of having been unanimously elected," he said in a statement. In a statement he said, it should be remembered that any and every office under the government is not and cannot be an office of profit. An office which does not provide for any 'profit' to the holder does not disqualify one from being a Member of Parliament. He said for the last few days, an insinuation is being made that I am allegedly holding an office of profit under the Government of West Bengal, which disqualifies me from continuing as a Member of Lok Sahbha and thereby as the Speaker, Lok Sabha. "Such insinuation is made on the pretended complaint of Trinamool Congress in a letter addressed to the President Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam that as the Chairman of the Sriniketan Santiniketan Development Authority (SSDDA) and as the supposed President of the Asiatic Society in Kolkata I am allegedly holding offices of profit," he said. The Speaker said: "I have never been nor am I the President of the Asiatic Society, which is an institute of national importance. Such a casual reference to the society not only shows the colossal ignorance on the part of the complainant, but also how motivated the complaint is." In the absence of any case or any particulars, it is not required of me to disapprove any allegation. I am not aware whether, if at all, any formal petition was submitted by the complainant before the President before the matter was referred to the Election Commission, as reported, he said. "I am convinced factually and legally and I assert with all emphasis at my command, that I am not holding any office of profit, as the Chairman of the Sriniketan Santiniketan Development Authority (SSDA), and I do not enjoy any profit as chairman. The decisions of the courts and references to the provisions of the Parliament (Prevention of Disqualifications) Act, 1959 will clearly establish the baselessness of the pretended complaint against me. "

    Meanwhile, the Election Commission today received a presidential reference regarding 10 Members of Parliament, including Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, for alleged holding of an office of profit. Others named in the presidential reference are Karan Singh, Subbirami Reddy, Kapila Vatsayan, Mukul Roy, Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma, Chandrapal Singh, Nilotpal Basu and Sanjay Jharadia. Chief Election Commissioner B.B. Tandon, however, was unclear as what would be the Election Commission's reaction on Gandhi, Karan Singh and Kapila Vatsayan as they are no longer members of parliament.

EC receives presidential reference on Sonia

       New Delhi: The Election Commission here today received presidential reference regarding 10 Members of Parliament, including Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, for alleged holding of an office of profit. Chief Election Commissioner B.B. Tandon said: "The President has issued a notification that was referred to the Election Commission for verification". Names of Karan Singh, Subbirami Reddy, Kapila Vatsayan, Mukul Roy, Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma, Chandrapal Singh, Nilotpal Basu and Sanjay Jharadia have also appeared in the Presidential reference to the Election Commission. B.B. Tandon, however, was unclear as what would be the EC's reaction on Gandhi, Karan Singh and Kapila Vatsyayan as they are no longer members of Parliament. Senior Congress leader Karan Singh late last night tendered his resignation from the membership of Rajya Sabha hours after his party chief Sonia Gandhi quitted from Lok Sabha and as Chairperson of National Advisory Council. Karan Singh was accused by the opposition for occupying an office of profit by being the Chairman of Indian Council for Cultutal Relations. Singh is also the Chairman of Rajya Sabha's Ethics Committee. Earlier today, Kapila Vatsyayan resigned as member of the Rajya Sabha in the wake of the controversy. Vatsyayan is Chairperson of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts. Vatsyayan was nominated as a member of the house very recently. Speaking to newspersons yesterday, Tandon had told that, "If there is any complaint against a person holding an office of profit, the President issues a notification which is then referred to the Election Commission for verification". India's Constitution bars members of parliament from holding what it calls any office of profit -- any government post that entitles them to pay and perks. But in practice many lawmakers also serve on official bodies outside parliament. The controversy erupted after another member of parliament was disqualified this month for serving as head of a state cinema development board. Since then, several petitions have been filed against other members of parliament, including Gandhi, whose party came to power at the head of a communist-backed coalition in May 2004. About 40 other lawmakers, both in the ruling coalition and the opposition, are believed to hold such positions.

    The government abruptly adjourned parliament on Wednesday and was reportedly considering issuing an ordinance to change the law over the "office of profit" provision. But this evoked a storm of protest from the opposition, which accused the government of subverting parliament. President Abdul Kalam had disqualified actor-turned-lawmaker Jaya Bachchan from her membership of the upper house of parliament under the provisions of Constitution for holding another office of profit. But analysts said Gandhi might have succeeded in limiting the damage to her party's government.

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