|
Office of Profit Bill : May not become law by July 31 |
 |
The Rajya Sabha adopted the controversial amendment to Parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) Act expanding the list of exemptions in the Office of Profit provision on July 27, but there is a strong possibility that it may not become a law by July 31. The date has become crucial in view of the deadline given to the West Bengal Government by the Election Commission to furnish to it all information related to the alleged offices of profit held by seven Members of Parliament belonging to the state. The Commission has already rejected the unsought legal opinion given by the state that none of its MPs hold offices of profit.
The Lok Sabha is set to take up the amendment Bill on Monday, July 31. The Bill, earlier passed by both Houses of Parliament in May, was returned by the President for reconsideration raising several concerns. The Bill adds 55 offices to the list of exemptions, which are presently held by 40 MPs from all parties. With the Rajya Sabha passing it again in the original form, and the Lok Sabha set to follow suit next week, the Bill will be forwarded to the President for “compulsory assent.”
The Government has agreed to set up a Parliamentary committee that will arrive at a “generic and comprehensive definition,” of office of profit. Replying to the heated debate that saw the BJP and Congress crossing swords frequently, Law Minister H.R. Bhardwaj said the Government was particular that the disqualification Act was suitably improved and sought the cooperation of all parties.
Raising objections to the Bill, BJP’s Arun Jaitely said it merely sought to protect those who had violated a constitutional provision and the arbitrary and self-serving nature of the Bill made it untenable in law.
NDA for SC opinion
In a controversial move, the National Democratic Alliance has urged President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam to consider referring constitutional validity of the Office of Profit Bill to the Supreme Court for its advisory opinion under Article 143 of the Constitution. Led by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, L.K. Advani and George Fernandes, many NDA MPs met the President on Monday, July 24 in this connection.
The NDA’s suggestion would mean that the President would have to disregard the Constitution that says that he can refer a matter to the Supreme Court only on the advice of the Union Council of Ministers. NDA leaders told the President that his concerns regarding the Bill had remain unattended and that the Bill is just to save 56 MPs, 17 of whom belonging to the Left parties.
BJP leaders also had a meeting with the leader of the Lok Sabha Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday, July 23 to discuss the issue. They are reported to have put forward a three-point approach to settle the issue : (i) grant one time amnesty to the erring MPs, (ii) ask them to resign from the offices that are of profit, and (iii) define a new law that delinks offices and profit.
Shekhawat, Jaswant Singh offer to quit
There was high drama in the Rajya Sabha last week when BJP members virtually revolted against the party leadership agreeing to the move to defer the inconclusive discussion on the Mumbai terror attacks to facilitate early passage of the Office of Profit Bill. BJP members, upset with the decision to change the business schedule to accommodate the Left’s anxiety for quick passage of the Bill, joined hands with Dinesh Trivedi of the Trinamul Congress to force three adjournments. Taken aback by BJP protests, Chairperson Bhairon Singh Shekhawat is learnt to have reminded leaders of the Opposition Jaswant Singh that he was a party to the decision to change the order in which the business would be transacted. Shekhawat said he saw little point in continuing as Chairman if his rulings were defied. Jaswant Singh, himself under fire for having agreed to the change at the cost of the party’s plan to make Mumbai terror attacks the most important issue on their “to do” list for the session, regretted the development. “I have belied the trust that you put in me and, therefore, I will like to quit,” he reportedly said.
Even as nobody pressed his offer to quit, and the House after half an hour lost to the disruption, got down to discuss the Bill, the issue helped bring to surface the unease in BJP ranks against the leadership in general and Jaswant Singh, in particular. The incident came at a time when the party is already smarting from the feeling that release of excerpts from Singh’s book have distracted attention from its plan to take on the Government.
Ramadoss faces trouble on office of profit issue
Even as Health Minister Ramadoss continues to fight against All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Director P. Venugopal, for taking an anti-quota stand, he is facing a petition seeking his disqualification as an MP. The petition filed by Venugopal in the High Court refers to Ramadoss holding an office of profit as president of the governing body of AIIMS. Sources say that Rashtrapati Bhavan has also forwarded to the Election Commission a petition filed by a retired IAS officer seeking disqualification of Ramadoss on the same ground.
|
