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Office-of-Profit issue: PM meets President

      New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday met President APJ Abdul Kalam to communicate the Government's stand after the latter returned the controversial Office-of-Profit Bill to Parliament for reconsideration. In the meeting lasting for nearly half an hour, the Prime Minister and the President also discussed other current issues of national importance. Meanwhile, the Government has said that it would reconsider the Office-of-Profit Bill in the Parliament in its coming monsoon session and the Cabinet will meet tomorrow to decide whether the Bill should be in the present form or amended form. Law Minister H R Bhardwaj told newspersons that there were no lacunae in the bill, adding that since the President has returned it "we would respectfully reconsider it". President Kalam on Tuesday returned the Bill, aimed at amending the Parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) Act, 1959.

      Returning the "Office-of-Profit" Bill, Kalam asked the Government to reconsider it and raised two specific questions about the amendment. The President wanted to know whether the bill ensured uniformity in application. That is, whether any office exempted from office-of-profit law was going to be an office-of-profit in another State or Union territory as well. He also wanted the two Houses to consider the "soundness and propriety of making the applicability of the amendment, retrospectively". The bill proposed to apply the amendment retrospectively to ensure that members of Parliament holding potential offices of profit would get the protection of the amended law from the date they became the members of Parliament.

     The Parliament had passed the Office-of-Profit Bill earlier this month, after which it was forwarded to the President for final consent. The Bill exempts 56 posts including the post of chairperson of the National Advisory Council (NAC) from being considered offices-of-profit. UPA Chairperson and Congress President Sonia Gandhi had to resign from the post of Chairperson of the NAC on allegations of holding an office-of-profit. The Rajya Sabha passed the Bill on May 17, with 109 members voting in favour and three against the resolution. An official amendment to the Bill exempting ten more posts from the office of profit definition, including chiefs of the Dalit Sena and Bahujan Samaj Foundation held by Union Minister Ramvilas Paswan and Mayawati, was accepted by the Lok Sabha on May 16 before it was passed. The Left parties along with Samajwadi party had given their consent to the Bill. Article 102 (1) (a) of the Constitution explicitly disqualifies a person from membership of Parliament "if he holds any office of profit under the Government of India or the Government of the state."

NDA moves EC on Office of Profit issue (Go To Top)

       New Delhi: The Opposition NDA alliance on Wednesday urged the Election Commission to take immediate decision on the disqualification pleas against members of the Parliament allegedly sought to be protected by the Office of Profit Bill. President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam had not signed the Bill and returned it to Parliament for reconsideration, yesterday. The delegation led by NDA convenor George Fernandes and senior BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani asked the Election Commission to immediately decide on all complaints pending before it. "We came here to request the Election Commission to resolve the cases pending with it with utmost urgency," Advani said.

     Advani added that there should be no law to safeguard lawmakers holding Offices of Profit. The Congress led UPA government introduced the Bill in the Lok Sabha to exempt 46 posts under the purview of Office of Profit. The Opposition vehemently opposed the Bill, after which the government later added 10 more posts in the list. The 56 posts included the Chairperson of National Advisory Commission (NAC), a post held by Congress President Sonia Gandhi who, incidentally had to had to resign from the post of Chairperson of the NAC on allegations of holding an Office-of- Profit. President Kalam yesterday returned the bill for reconsideration seeking the criteria for the exemption of the posts. Meanwhile, BJP President Rajnath Singh has sought Sonia's resignation over the issue. "If the Congress President believes in principles and values, then she should resign from her post after the President sent the Office of Profit Bill to the Parliament for reconsideration," said Singh. In March, Sonia Gandhi quit as Member of the Lok Sabha and Chairperson of the NAC on allegations of holding an office of profit. It was alleged that she had violated the Constitution by holding two posts. The controversy erupted after Samajwadi Party Member of Parliament, Jaya Bachhan was disqualified for serving as head of the UP Cinema Development Board, which opened a Pandora's box leading to a spate of complaints to the Election Commission. Sonia Gandhi returned to Parliament again winning a bye-election from Rae-Bareili in Uttar Pradesh with a thumping majority. Elsewhere, the Supreme Court has dismissed a petition filed by Jaya Bachchan against her disqualification.

Rajnath asks Sonia to resign over Bill (Go To Top)

      New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party president Rajnath Singh today demanded the resignation of Congress president Sonia Gandhi from Parliament following President APJ Abdul Kalam's decision to return the controversial Office of Profit Bill to Parliament for reconsideration. Talking to reporters at his residence, Singh said that if Sonia Gandhi believed in values and principles, then she should resign. "If she (Sonia Gandhi) believes in principles and values, then Congress President Sonia Gandhi should resign from her post after the President sent the Office of Profit Bill to the Parliament for reconsideration," said Singh. Welcoming the President's move, Singh said an extraordinary session of Parliament should be convened for a fresh debate on the Bill. "The President has sent the bill for reconsideration and I think it should be reconsidered by summoning a session of the Parliament. Moreover, the intention of the President should also be respected,"said Singh. Rajnath Singh also released a report on UPA government's contribution to national development. The report contained the recent hike in prices of commodities, sensex, the increase in farmer's suicide, internal security and Bangladeshi infiltration.