Amid NDA walkout, JPC set up to look into Office of Profit issue

New Delhi, Aug 17 (UNI) The Lok Sabha today passed a motion to set up a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to comprehensively look into the controversial Office of Profit issue with the BJP-led NDA staging a walk-out over the manner in which Law Minister Hansraj Bhardwaj left the House without giving clarifications.

BJP Deputy Leader V K Malhotra, before leading the walk-out, said it was unprecedented that the JPC had been set up without its chairperson being named.

He protested the manner in which the Law Minister left immediately after reading out the motion without waiting for asking of clarifications from the members.

''If this is the way the government wants to run the House, we walk out in protest,'' he said and led the NDA members out.

Mr Vikhe Patil, who was in the Chair, said there cannot be any discussion on the motion under the rules.

Intervening on behalf of Mr Bhardwaj, who had left after reading his statement, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi said during the debate on the Office of Profit issue earlier, the government had given a solemn assurance to set up a JPC, and it had now complied with it.

Earlier moving the motion, Mr Bhardwaj said the Joint Committee will submit its report to this House by the first day of the last week of the next session of Parliament.

The JPC will consists of 15 members with ten to be nominated from the Lower House, including the chairperson, and five from the Upper House.

The JPC will examine, in the context of settled interpretation of the expression 'Office of Profit' in Article 102 of the Constitution and the underlying constitutional principles therein, and to suggest a comprehensive definition of Office of Profit.

It will recommend, in relation to Office of Profit, the evaluation of generic and comprehensive criteria which are just, fair and reasonable and can be applied to all states and union territories.

It will also examine the feasibility of adoption of system of law relating to prevention of disqualification of Members of Parliament as existing in the United Kingdom and considered by the Constitution (42nd Amendment) Act, 1976, and any other matter incidental to these.

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