BJP against dilution of whole concept of the office of profit

New Delhi, Apr 27 (UNI) The Bharatiya Janata Party has firmly conveyed to the Government that there ought not to be any dilution of the whole concept of the Office of Profit because "it stems from a larger moral principle," under which elected representatives ought to ensure accountability of the executive without suffering from any conflict of interest.

In a statement, party spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad said today any legislative act should not erode this basic premise because it also arises out of a moral and public obligation of propriety.

He questioned the ''conspicuous' silence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on such a vital issue. It was also curious that Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee sought the view of the party without disclosing even the ''tentative'' view of the Government on the whole issue for any meaningful exchange.

The party which had sent a formal response to Mr Mukherjee through a letter by Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Jaswant Singh on April 14, pointed out that it was very difficult to suggest any ''specific inputs'' on the issue in the absence of the Government's own stand on the matter.

The party however added "We have always held a view that this act of 1959 is a provision born of the essence of Article 102 of our Constitution." Mr Singh in the letter said that it would be difficult for him to agree on any dilution of the 1959 act or other related provisions, (related to the office of profit) of the Constitution.

"I would be disinclined to dilute, what I consider to be the moral and a public obligation of propriety, enjoined upon all elected representatives in the country, indeed all holders of public office. How or why this should at all be tampered with, diluted, amended, begs many questions, even while it dissuades us from proceeding farther down the line," Mr Singh said in the letter.

The party spokesman said the whole controversy of office of profit had arisen by accident under pressure of ''competitive politics'' and taken its toll on Mrs Sonia Gandhi "who unabashedly sought to make a virtue out of a compelling necessity." While noting that there was process of cleansing the polity initiated by Parliament, Election Commission and the Judiciary, the party said let there be no attempt "to reverse this process." UNI KAS/MCN RP PM1653