UP Governor yet to approve Disqualification Amendment Bill

Lucknow, Mar 16 (UNI) The Mulayam Singh Yadav government in Uttar Pradesh received a setback when the state Governor refused to give his immediate approval to a Bill which would have saved cinestar Jaya Bachchan and Amar Singh from attracting disqualification as Rajya Sabha members.

State Governor T V Rajeswar has refused to give his immediate approval to the UP State Legislature (Prevention of Disqualification) Act, 1971, amendment bill, which would put some departments outside the purview of offices of profit, and has asked for clarifications.

The Election Commission had recommended the disqualification of Samajwadi Party leader and chairperson of UP Film Development Council Jaya Bachchan, which is pending before the President, while on the other hand, EC is considering disqualification of Mr Amar Singh, who heads the state development council, for holding offices of profit.

The Bill, introduced with retrospective effect from January 1, 2003, which the Assembly passed on March 9 to exempt heads of 79 corporations, boards and councils from posts of profit, was sent to Raj Bhavan the next day along with four others bills for approval.

While the Governor cleared the four Bills without batting an eyelid, he decided to seek the opinion of legal experts after receiving the amendment Bill.

Sources said the Governor was in no hurry to take a decision as the issue of Jaya Bachchan and Amar Singh's disqualification was pending with the President.

Other MPs and MLAs holding offices of profit include Shivpal Singh Yadav (chairperson of Mandi Parishad), Anuradha Choudhury (chairperson of Uttar Pradesh Irrigation and Flood Control Commission) and Mohammad Azam Khan (chairperson of Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam).

The Opposition parties in the Assembly had protested against the Bill in the assembly and they branded it ''unconstitutional and undemocratic''.

The Chief Minister, however, said ''I have always been against any draconian law in the country and had even campaigned for open ballot in the Rajya Sabha polls. I am moving this amendment to give more freedom to the legislators and members of Parliament.'' The Bill was moved just days after the Election Commission turned the heat on Jaya Bachchan and Amar Singh.

In the amendment, the government has proposed that the term 'daily allowances' be changed to 'honorarium' so that MPs can financially benefit from more than one office without attracting the provisions of disqualification in the Act.

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