Doing away with office-of-profit concept an option: PM

New Delhi, Mar 29 (UNI) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today indicated that doing away with the office-of-profit concept was an option that would be considered while finding a solution to the threat of disqualification of several MPs, including Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee.

''These are all issues which will have to be examined in the light of the (recent) developments,'' Dr Singh told reporters at Rashtrapati Bhavan while replying to a question whether the government was considering the option of scrapping the law that debars MPs and MLAs to hold an office of profit and provides for the disqualification of legislators who violate it.

Clarifying that no ''definite conclusion'' had been reached on the issue, he said the government was still consulting various parties on the problem, which has led to the resignation of Congress President Sonia Gandhi as an MP and the Chairperson of the National Advisory Council.

''We will look at the problems and find possible solutions,'' Dr Singh said after attending a function where President APJ Abdul Kalam gave away Padma Awards.

Dr Singh's statement comes ahead of tomorrow's meeting of Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs (CCPA) to discuss the problem.

Clarifying that the NAC was very much in existence, Dr Singh said the situation arising from the resignation of Ms Gandhi would be ''sorted out'' and praised the Congress President for rendering ''excellent service'' as its Chairperson by drawing the government's attention to neglected areas such as the social sector.

To a question on the potential threat to the survival of some state governments in the wake of the office-of-profit controversy, he said these would be taken into consideration while looking for a solution.

The President has forwarded several complaints to the Election Commission, seeking the disqualification of as many as 18 MPs, including Mr Somnath Chatterjee, and ruling coalition MLAs in Jharkhand.

Parying a question whether an all party meet would be convened, he said ''everybody'' was being consulted.

Mr Chatterjee told reporters he was not quitting as he was ''convinced that I am not guilty'' of holding any office of profit.

If that was the case, ''why should I resign,'' he quipped.

He said he was confident of coming out clean and prove that the posts of the chairmanship of the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation and the Shanti Niketan Trust were not offices of profit.

Dr Singh parried a question on the Supreme Court verdict upholding the government's right to retrench employees working in departments declared redundant, stating that he was yet to study it.

Asked about the progress in the government's proposal for extending reservation to the private sector, he said this was still with the Group of Ministers (GoM).

UNI SN/YJ RP HT2010