(repeating DI 63 inserting matter in first para)
New
Delhi,
Mar
23:
The
CPI(M)
today
said
there
was
no
question
of
its
members,
including
Speaker
Somnath
Chaterejee,
resigning
from
the
Lok
Sabha
as
they
did
not
enjoy
any
financial
benefits
and
were
ready
to
get
Talking
to
UNI,
Party
veteran
and
Polit
Bureau
member
M
K
Pandhe
said," We
dont
want
them
to
resign
as
they
are
not
holding
any
office
of
profit,
get
salary,
perks
or
remuneration,"
Earlier
party
stalwarts
Prakash
Karat
and
Sitaram
Yechury
said,"
our
MPs
will
not
resign.
They
are
ready
to
get
disqualified.''
Mr
Pandhe
said
there
was
an
urgent
need
that
the
government
should
take
immediate
steps
to
ensure
that
the
Parliament
enact
a
law
to
define
what
is
the
office
of
Profit.
On the impact of Ms Gandhi's decision on the political landscape in the country, Mr Pandhe gave an evasive reply." Many a political development is taking place, Let us wait and watch." CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan said Ms Gandhi's resignation re- emphasised the need for a bill which clearly defined the office of profit." For that purpose a political consensus is necessary." On the political impact, CPI national Secretary Shamim Faizi said, this would help the Congress chief who was under severe attack by the BJP, which was out to convince the people of the country that the institutions of Parliament and the government were being "misused" to bail her out of the political storm arisen out of the Office of Profit issue.
RSP leader and Rajya Sabha member Manoj Bhattacharya said this was a peculiar development following the rancour in Parliament and media regarding the office of profit issue." Unfortunately the Constitution has not defined the office of profit by now." He said this was high time that the Parlament enact a law that a similiar situation did not take place again." To my mind, Ms Gandhi holding the office of NAC does not attract any provision of the Disqualification Act. She was holding a temporary office." The RSP leader said Ms Gandhi s resignation was unlikely to influence the politcal scene in the assembly polls next month." This is the internal matter of the Congress, let us see how it works out." The RSP leader did not rule out the possibility of any political development including the mid term polls.
Forward Bloc general Secretary Debvrat Biswas said had the UPA government taken an early initiative to evolve a political consensus, the unfortunate development would not have taken place." the new law should ensure the exemption to the MPs who are holding the offices in the PSUs and the private sector from the purview of the Disqualification Act."
UNI