Govt grappling with crisis on office of profit issue

New Delhi, May 31: The UPA Government was trying to find a face saving formula to resolve the office of profit controversy today, a day after President A P J Abdul Kalam returned to Parliament a legislation on the subject for its reconsideration.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met the President at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here this evening and discussed ways to resolve the issue so as to save the government from any further embarrassment.

The opposition NDA, meanwhile, asked the Election Commission to process all pending cases of disqualification on the issue, including that of Congress President Sonia Gandhi, expeditiously and send its opinions to the President on an urgent basis.

An NDA delegation, led by NDA Convenor George Fernandes and Leader of Opposition L K Advani, targetting the Congress President, said that even in cases of members who happened to resign, the E C should adjudge upon their disqualification during the period when they held the office of profit and membership about the Parliament or Assembly without prejudice to the fact of subsequent resignation by the concerned member.

The Union Cabinet is likely to meet later this week to finalise the government's stand in the new situation. The Congress is expected to consult its UPA allies as well as the Left parties before a united stand could be taken by the government, official sources said.

The President last night returned to Parliament the Bill seeking to exempt MPs holding offices of profit, including the post of chairperson of the National Advisory Council (NAC), from disqualification under the existing law.

While refusing to give assent to the Parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) Amendment Bill, which was passed by both the Houses on May 17 during the extended budget session, the President objected to the legislation coming into force with retrospective effect.

The Left parties are meeting here tomorrow and the office of profit issue is bound to come up during their talks. At his meeting with Dr Kalam, the Prime Minister reportedly explained to the President the situation that prompted the government to come out with the amendment bill seeking to exempt 56 offices of profit from the purview of disqualification from Parliament.

He was also said to have explained why uniformity in the criterion for deciding offices of profit could not be ensured across all States and Union Territories.

While returning the bill, President Kalam asked Parliament to look into the legal propriety of the legislation's applicability with retrospective effect.

He said the Bill's focus should be on evolving a comprehenesive criterion which would be fair and reasonable and applied across all States and Union Territories in a clear and tansparent manner.

Under the Constitution, the government has to bring the bill afresh in Parliament for reconsideration.

According to Article 111 of the Constitution, once cleared by Parliament again, with or without amendments, the President has to give his assent to the Bill.

In all probability, the Bill will be reintroduced in the monsoon session of Parliament in July.

UNI

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