Office of Profit issue : Govt. treads cautiously,Indian Politics, News Analysis, India News Online

Faced with poll predictions of a none-too-bright showing by the Congress in the current Assembly elections in four states and a Union Territory, the Manmohan Singh Government is treading cautiously on the Office of Profit issue, which led to Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s resignation from the Lok Sabha and as chairperson of the National Advisory Council (NAC) last month.

The Government decided on Thursday, March 30, to reconvene Parliament from May 10 after the Assembly elections are over for enacting a comprehensive law on redefining office of profit. The decision was taken at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA). The session is expected to last till May 23. Parliament had been abruptly adjourned sine die on March 22 after it was rocked over Opposition charges that the Government intended to issue an ordinance to protect Sonia Gandhi’s membership of the Lower House (Lok Sabha). There were demands that she should be sacked from Parliament as she was holding an office of profit (Chairpersonship of the National Advisory Council) on the pattern of the termination of membership of Samajwadi Party Rajya Sabha member, Jaya Bachchan.

Sonia Gandhi took the winds out of the sails of the BJP and the Samajwadi Party by resigning from the Lok Sabha and the NAC and saying that she will seek re-election to the Lok Sabha from Rae Bareli constituency which she represented in Parliament.

Reconvening of the Parliament session became possible as the President had not prorogued the two Houses after their adjournment sine die. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priyaranjan Das Munshi says that the Lok Sabha Speaker and the Rajya Sabha chairman are competent to reconvene the two Houses in the circumstances.

Government to get views of political parties in writing

It has been decided that the Government would be seeking views of political parties on what kind of legislation they would prefer on the complex issue of office of profit. The leader of the Lok Sabha and Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee would be writing shortly to all party leaders seeking their suggestions on the kind of legislation they would prefer. The government has deliberately asked political parties for their views in writing as it will enable it to hold the opposition to their suggestions and make it difficult for them to backtrack.

UPA ministers maintained that the opposition has been making contradictory statements, saying one thing in private and another in public.

In fact, the government and the opposition have been engaged in a cat and mouse game ever since the office of profit controversy erupted. The opposition has deliberately refrained from giving its suggestions with the BJP and the Samajwadi Party even rejecting the proposal for an all-party meeting as that would have forced them to place their views on record.

The UPA government has responded in the same vein and has, therefore, come up with the idea of seeking everybody’s inputs in writing.

The BJP-led government in Jharkhand, which enjoys only a wafer thin majority, faces a problem on the office of profit issue with the Opposition there seeking disqualification of a number of ministers and MLAs.

The Office of Profit issue has become a major poll issue in West Bengal where Trinamul Congress leader Mamata Banerjee has complained against Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee and nine other CPI(M) members to the Election Commission.

Though the Government claims that both Houses of Parliament were adjourned sine die on March 22 as all key financial business had been transacted, the BJP persists with its allegation that the move was intended to bring forward an ordinance on the office of profit issue.

“The cat is out of the bag,” was how the BJP described the decision. “If both Houses are being convened from May 10 to consider the balance agenda, why were they adjourned sine die instead of adjourning them till May 10 as was planned earlier,” asked party general secretary Arun Jaitely.

Earlier last week, Das Munshi held talks with the BJP. Left and other smaller parties on the office of profit issue and submitted his report to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. “Most political parties suggested that there can be a comprehensive law with new legislation or by amendment or clarification within the existing Act,” Das Munshi said.

Parties close ranks

After the initial political war over the office of profit issue, the political class now appears to have closed ranks as parliamentarians and legislators from most parties are affected and face disqualification under the law as it stands now. The Election Commission has received 100 petitions seeking the disqualification of 25 MPs and 75 MLAs. Some states like Jharkhand have already enacted laws to protect their MLAs.

Election Commission sources say that of the 75 complaints against MLAs, 19 are against MLAs in BJP-ruled Jharkhand, 14 relate to Uttaranchal having a Congress government, 13 to BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh, 12 to Congress-ruled Himachal Pradesh and 11 to Tripura, ruled by the Left parties. Three complaints are from Rajasthan, two from Nagaland and one from Uttar Pradesh.

Of the 25 petitions relating to Members of Parliament, 18 relate to the Lok Sabha and seven to the Rajya Sabha.

PM hopeful of early formula

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has expressed the hope that the consultation process with political parties on the proposed legislation would be completed by the time Parliament is reconvened on May 10. He was speaking on the sidelines of the Defence Investiture Ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan on March 31.

Asked whether the proposed legislation would be a comprehensive one encompassing offices at the Centre and in the States, he said, “I cannot say. We have to consult. We will discuss with other political parties. There are a number of ideas.”

Asked to comment on Rural Development Minister and RJD leader Raghuvansh Prasad’s statement that there was no need for he National Advisory Council (NAC) after the resignation of Sonia Gandhi, he said, “That is his point of view. But it is my assessment that the NAC has done a superb job.”

Earlier on March 29, Dr. Manmohan Singh called on President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and reportedly discussed issues of national importance. This was the first formal meeting between the two after the office of profit issue erupted and after Jaya Bachchan was disqualified as an MP. Dr. Singh is reported to have apprised Dr. Kalam of the high spots of the budget session, including the thorny issue of office of profit. He also received valuable inputs from Dr. Kalam on the salient features of the President’s meeting with the leaders of Myanmar and Mauritius which he visited recently.

Meanwhile, a 50-member delegation of UPA parliamentarians and Members of the Jharkhand Assembly met President Abdul Kalam on Tuesday, March 28, seeking disqualification of four ruling party MLAs. They demanded that he direct Jharkhand Governor Syed Sibte Razi not to accord assent to the amendment of the Jharkhand (Prevention of Disqualification) Act seeking to protect state MLAs holding offices of Profit. Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader and Union Minister Shibu Soren led the delegation.

Sonia goes on the offensive

Meanwhile, Congress president Sonia Gandhi who quit her Lok Sabha membership over the office of profit issue, has launched a no-holds-barred campaign against her opponents. Addressing a rally in Rai Bareli on Tuesday, March 28, she said she is being subjected to the “same kind of treatment that her slain husband and mother-in-law had received at the hands of their critics.” Without naming any one in particular, she said the parties have now stopped speaking about “morality” and are harping on “cooperation” with the government on the law relating to office of profit in a bid to shield their flock.

She said, “I am the opposition’s enemy number one and every stone is being hurled at me.” The crowd reciprocated. “We will ensure that those who contest against her lose their deposit” was the general refrain.

Seeking to strike an emotional chord with her “would-be” voters, she said she came straight to those who had sent her to the Lok Sabha after quitting. “I am sure you will do justice and give them a befitting reply”, she said. Her canny political instincts could not be faulted as she recounted last month’s developments highlighting how the Opposition had changed colour. “See how they have changed their language. Now they are cooperating with each other to save their respective chairs.”

Rae Bareli basked in the glow of Sonia’s confidence. “She remembered us after stepping down. This should convey a message to others,” said Ram Bharose, a grassroots Congress worker.

Sonia Gandhi confirmed at the rally that she had consulted only her children Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Vadra before resigning her Lok Sabha seat over the office of profit controversy.

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Some parties trying to communalise foreign policy : Sonia

In a letter to party workers in the March issue of the party journal, Congress Sandesh, Sonia Gandhi has accused some parties of trying to communalise the country’s foreign policy. Without naming any political party, the Congress president said :

“It is indeed sad that some parties have tried to communalise our foreign policy for short-term electoral gains. This is above all an insult to our minorities and something that the Congress will never do. We do not think our religious minorities are any less nationalist than our majority. We do not think that religion can or should be the matrix for national interest in a country as linguistically and religiously pluralistic as India. We all fought together for our independence. We all fought as a nation in the face of external aggression and we will continue to do so. And like earlier, our minorities will continue to support the Congress’ desire to create an open and plural society where our democracy gives everyone the right to articulate their difference of opinion. The Congress party has always remained in the forefront of the fight against communalism and fundamentalism and we will never compromise on our secular principles. We are only against violence and terrorism and Mahatama Gandhi’s leadership during the independence struggle and its success has shown us the possibility of peace as a means for political gain.”

Observers say that Sonia Gandhi’s comments have brought into the open an issue so far discussed only in private within the Left - that the protests with the Samajwadi Party on the Iran issue and the Bush visit had ended up being perceived as “Muslim mobilisation” exercises, giving them a communal colour.

For the record, the Left has shrugged off Sonia Gandhi’s remarks. CPI(M) politburo member Sitaram Yechury said, “In case the charge is being made against the Left, it is preposterous. If any one is communalising the issue, it is George Bush. By invoking God for attacking other countries, Bush is saying his God is better.” Observers say that despite Yechury’s reaction, it is apparent that there has been disquiet in the Left ever since the anti-Bush protests last month saw attendance by a large number of Muslims, mostly brought in by the Samajwadi Party.

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BSP not to put up candidate against Sonia Gandhi

In a pointer towards changing political equations in Uttar Pradesh, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati has announced that her party would not field any candidate against Congress president Sonia Gandhi whenever polling takes place to fill up the vacancy in the Lok Sabha from Rae Bareli. Addressing party workers in Lucknow, Mayawati said, the BSP strategy will help to weaken the BJP.

She claimed that if the BSP fielded its candidate against Sonia Gandhi, it would in a way help the BJP. “We want Sonia to emerge as a stronger leader in the Lok Sabha ... her presence in Parliament would weaken the BJP.”

Mayawati opined that a stronger Gandhi would ultimately help BSP in its future plans. Mayawati added she wanted a balance between the BJP and the Congress to help the BSP eventually.

Her reported decision came on Friday, March 31, a day after expelled BJP leader Uma Bharti announced fielding a woman candidate against Sonia in Rae Bareli by-polls, the date of which is yet to be announced.

Meanwhile, the ruling Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh has alleged that Mayawati was not fielding a candidate against Sonia Gandhi to defend herself in the Taj Heritage Corridor scam.

Senior leader and state PWD Minister Shivpal Singh Yadav asserted that the ruling SP would field a strong candidate against Sonia Gandhi in the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha by-poll.

RSS, BJP dissociate themselves from Vaidya’s praise for Sonia

Meanwhile, the RSS and the BJP have dissociated themselves from senior RSS leader M.G. Vaidya’s statement heaping praise on Congress president Sonia Gandhi for resigning from the Lok Sabha. The RSS mouthpiece, The Organiser, said in an editorial, the resignation is only a gambit to save herself. The editorial said, “Be it Mitrokhin II, Volcker Report, unfreezing the Quattrocchi account, burying the Bofors track or the latest office of profit controversy, the UPA was working on a single point agenda to save its supreme leader. Now that the latest gamble has backfired on her, particularly because of the Left parties’ refusal to play along, Sonia Gandhi had to resign from her Lok Sabha seat. But that does not cancel out the dubious UPA gambit.” RSS sources said organization general secretary Mohan Bhagwat has taken strong exception to Vaidya’s statement and is understood to have conveyed it to him.

Vaidya, in his weekly column, in the RSS Marathi journal, Tarun Bharat, had said that Sonia Gandhi’s decision to resign from the Lok Sabha reflected her maturity. He wrote, “It would perhaps have been enough to resign from the NAC, but one must open heartedly accept that by resigning from Parliament too, she has exhibited political maturity and acumen.”

Praising Sonia Gandhi for her bold decisions, Vaidya also posed a question without naming the BJP, to those terming her resignation as drama. He said such leaders should seek resignations from their Members of Parliament facing similar charges.

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