LS nod to Bill to clear legal hurdles in appt of PS to PM

New Delhi, July 14: A bill to remove legal hurdles in the appointment of former TRAI chief Nripendra Misra as principal secretary to the Prime Minister was passed in Lok Sabha today, with Congress, RJD, AAP and RSP opposing it and Trinamool Congress making a volte-face on the issue.

Replying to a discussion during which the government came under attack, Minister for Law and Telecom Ravi Shankar Prasad said the focus of the measure was to remove "a palpable anomaly" as the existing law provided that a former TRAI Chairman could take up private job two years after retirement but not a government job.

Other regulatory bodies like Competition Commission, Airports Economic Regulatory Authority and SEBI do not have such provision, he said, adding the government decided to amend the law to bring parity.

The bill was later passed by a voice vote after walkout by Congress, RJD, AAP, RSP and CPI-M. The discussion saw those opposing the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Amendment) Bill to replace an ordinance walking out of the House but maintaining that they are not casting any doubt on the integrity and honesty of the person concerned, but were against the flouting of democratic norms and procedures.

The bill replaces an ordinance issued on May 28 to amend a clause in the TRAI Act by which Misra could not have been appointed to any government post after retirement.

Misra, a 1967-batch retired IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre who retired in 2009, joined the PMO the same day the ordinance was promulgated and the bill was being brought to give his appointment the requisite legal backing.

TMC leader Sudip Bandopadhyay, whose party had opposed the bill last week, supported the measure saying the Prime Minister had "the right to appoint any officer who he feels fit...in the greater interests of better governance."

His party colleague, Saugata Roy, had last week opposed the bill saying it was being brought "merely to give a government job to a superannuated TRAI Chairman, thereby taking away the independence of TRAI." Roy was not present in the House today.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu had apparently reached out to various opposition parties for their support. AIADMK leader M Thambidurai also supported the measure, prompting Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge to say, "I don't know what compulsions they had" for taking such a stand. Reacting to this, Thambidurai immediately stood up to say that the Prime Minister had "made a choice and there is no need to oppose it."

PTI