Asom Assembly passes Office of Profit Bill, budget session concludes

Guwahati, Jul 26 (UNI) Asom Legislative Assembly passed the Asom State Legislature Members (Removal of Disqualification) (Amendment) Bill, 2006 amid walk-out by Opposition AGP, BJP and AUDF members, who favoured to wait for the outcome of the reintroduced Office of Profit Bill in the Parliament.

At the consideration stage itself, AGP member Keshab Mahanta said the Constitution has not specifically defined the Office of Profit issue. He said the issue has raised a controversy and it would be better to wait for some more days as Parliament was in session.

Mr Mahanta also pointed out that the President has sent a similar Bill back to the Centre for reconsideration and it would amount to disrespecting the President if the Bill was passed.

Towing the same line, leader of BJP legislative party Mission Ranjan Das said the Act has been amended seven times so far by the state to include more portfolios in the list and said the present proposal of the government would not leave any post for profit if the Bill was passed.

After the AUDF also opposed the introduction, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Bharat Chandra Narah clarified that a recent book by the former secretary general of the Lok Sabha has defined the Office of Profit. The writer has also opined that some portfolios should be considered as without profit as the public representatives have also to undertake the burden of developmental works.

Mr Narah informed that Asom had passed the Bill in 1950 while Parliament introduced it nine years later. Further, both Bills are of different nature and under different provisions of the Constitution, he added.

As the Speaker was about to put the Motion before the House for consideration, leader of Opposition Brindaban Goswami pointed out that the Parliament might take a decision on a uniform Office of Profit posts. He said the government had hastily passed the Right to Information Act only to withdraw it later after the National Act was passed by the Parliament.

The Opposition parties later staged a walk-out when the Speaker took the Bill for consideration.

The budget session of Asom Assembly concluded, in which a total of eight bills have been passed.

The session witnessed a single adjournment motion and the state Assembly has been adjourned sine die by the Speaker.

UNI XC MT SP PA VV1831