Punjab MLAs have provision to hold offices of profit: CM

Amritsar, Nov 22 (UNI) Challenging the Election Commission (EC) notices to him and 36 other Congress MLAs on 'Office of Profit', Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today said there was a provision in the Punjab legislature since the times of former chief minister Partap Singh Kairon.

''We are completely safe because we have been fully protected by the Constitution'', Capt Singh said, while talking to newspersons after beginning the second phase of his Vikas Yatra from Atari near here.

The EC has issued notices to 37 Congress MLAs of Punjab to explain their position in view of a petion filed by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) legislatirs that the said Congress MLAs held offices of profit and, thus, they should be disqualified from teh Vidhan Sabha.

Capt Singh refused to comment on a statement of senior Congress leader Jagmeet Singh Brar that PPCC chief S S Dullo deserved to become the next Chief Minister of Punjab. When asked, Capt Singh said he preferred not to comment on such statements of Mr Brar.

To another question about the redressal of public grievances of those who had handed him their representations duriong teh first phase of the Vikas Yatra in Malwa region, the Chief Minister said he had ordered to set up a special cell in the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) to immediately dispose off all these applications and representations under intimation to the aggrieved party regarding the appropriate action taken at the level of government.

On the presidential elections of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, Capt Singh said that it was the duty of the state government to maintain law and order and the government would provide adequate police force to check any untoward incident.

He said that the duty of police was to control the situation outside the Golden Temple complex whereas the SGPC task force was solely responsible for law and order inside the complex.

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