PM non-commital on OoP; Parliament to discuss

On Board Air India One, July 18: Choosing to remain non-commital on the stand the government plans to take on the office-of-profit controversy, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said the relevant Bill, returned by the President without assent, would be discussed in Parliament again.

''In due course of time, we will go to Parliament which would discuss the issue in the light of the President's observations,'' Dr Singh told reporters while returning to Delhi from the G8 summit at St Petersburg.

He explained that he was unable to take a position on the issue as it had not been considered by the Cabinet yet.

Returning the Bill, which had been passed by both Houses of Parliament, for reconsideration, President A P J Abdul Kalam had reportedly taken exception to exempting certain offices from the purview of the office-of-profit law with retrospective effect from the date the clause was first enacted.

The President had reportedly felt the move was aimed at protecting some individuals.

UNI