The United Progressive Allaince government will promulgate an ordinance on Friday to identify some posts as office of non profit, a move the opposition alleged is a ploy to 'bail out' Congress chief Sonia Gandhi from a certain disqualification as parliamentarian, sources said in New Delhi late Wednesday night.
This was understood to have been decided at a meeting at the official residence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, which ended at the stroke of midnight.
An indication to this effect was earlier given by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi who told reporters that it was for the government to see if there was any shortcoming in the existing laws relating to office of profit, a ground on which parliamentarians and legislators attract disqualification under the Constitution.
He also dismissed charges that government had made a 'mockery' of Parliament by getting the session adjourned sine die 'in a huff to save Sonia Gandhi.' He refuted the Oposition's contention that Sonia would in any way attract disqualification on the ground of office of profit.
"Whether it was MPLAD, MPs' privileges, Office of Profit or Right to Information, if there is shortcoming, government has to see," Dasmunsi said, without directly answering a volley of questions - whether the government intended to issue an ordinance on the issue of office of profit.
"I did not say any particular Ordinance is coming on Thursday," he said replying to another question.
Dasmunsi said government has received several requests from political parties and others on the office of profit issue as also from several non governmental organisations to amend the criminal justice laws on protecting witnesses in the wake of Jessica Lal case.
The parliamentary affairs minister recalled that the National Democratic Alliance rule had witnessed two short budget sessions and denied that abrupt adjournment of the session now showed the dictatorial attitude of the United Progressive Alliance government.
To a specific query, whether Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee and some Union ministers as also senior Congress leader Karan Singh could face problems on the office of profit issue, he eulogised the Speaker as a leader of integrity.
"The Speaker is known in the whole country as a man of integrity. The allegations about cigar and mini bar drinks are very amazing," Dasmunsi said, apparently referring to some adverse remarks of the Comptroller and Auditor General during his tenure as West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation chairman.
He said that the sine die adjournment was not unprecedented and it was always the prerogative of the government to decide on the issue. Government requested adjournment of the session as the financial business was over and there was no fresh business.
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