BJP to oppose office-of-profit bill in Parliament

Gangtok, Jun 12 (UNI) The BJP today said it would oppose the Office- of- Profit Bill in Parliament if the Congress led UPA government tried to pass it again.

BJP Legal and Legislative Business Cell national Convenor Satyapal Jain told reporters here they would oppose the Bill in Parliament as it did not want the MPs and MLAs be given any office- of-profit except in offices linked with the functionng of Parliament.

Reccently, President A P J Abdul Kalam returned the Bill for reconsideration.

Mr Jain said the UPA government passed the Bill to save some of its MPs from disqualification.

Describing the act of the President as a slap on the face of the UPA government, Mr Jain said it vidicated the stand of the party on the issue.

BJP was totally opposed to idea of MPs and MLAs holding any office-of-profit as it was a plan to loot the public money, he said. He also urged the government to desist from trying to pass the Bill in Parliament again.

Mr Jain said in case the Bill was passed and got the assent of the President, his party would move to the Supreme court.

He also crticised the Sikkim government for passing two Bills in a special session of the Assembly to save its MLAs from disqualificaction. He urged the Governor V Rama Rao to follow the example set by Dr Kalam and not to give his assent to the Bill.

Mr Jain said both the Bills were contradictory and unconstitutional in nature.

He said the party would move the High Court if the Governor gave his assent ignoring their plea. ''The state party leaders would call on the Governor and submit a memorandum in this regard in a couple of days,'' he added.

The party had filed a case in the High Court for disqualification of 14 MLAs of the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front for holding office- of- profit and the party would pursue it seriously, he said.

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