New Delhi: Parliament was adjourned sine die on Wednesday amidst indications that the government was paving the way for promulgation of an Ordinance to identify some posts as not office of profit, a move the opposition alleged was a ploy to "save" Sonia Gandhi from "a certain disqualification" as MP.
President A P J Abdul Kalam has forwarded to the Election Commission the petition seeking the disqualification of Sonia Gandhi as Lok Sabha member and some other MPs - which includes Karan Singh and Kapila Vatsyayan - on the ground they held offices of profit.
The President was last week petitioned by Telugu Desam Party against Gandhi's continuance in Lok Sabha on the ground that she holds an office of profit as Chairperson of National Advisory Council on the CMP to the UPA government and various trusts.
Terming the decision to adjourn Parliament sine die as an "assault on Parliamentary traditions and propriety", Leader of the Opposition L K Advani said, "there cannot be double standards - one for Jaya Bachchan and another for Sonia Gandhi".
He said when the Parliament session was rescheduled in consultation with all parties, "why have they been arbitrarily bypassed." Advani also said that the government had violated Parliamentary norms.
Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee said he did not think that the Government will come with such an Ordinance and if it does "the Government will go".
However, while defending the Party President, Science and Technology Minister and a prominent lawyer Kapil Sibal said the post of National Advisory Council chief Sonia Gandhi did not fall in the category of office of profit.
He maintained that the office of head of ICCR, a post now being held by Congress leader Karan Singh, also did not fall under the category.
Sibal said Jaya Bachchan, who was disqualified as a Rajya Sabha member, had held an office of profit as Chairperson of Uttar Pradesh Film Development Council, since the State Government could direct or influence her as the organisation
was under its control.
But the chiefs of National Advisory Council and ICCR were in no way under the control of the Goverment and, therefore, could not be treated as holding offices of profit, he said.
Earlier, an alleged attempt by the UPA Government to shield UPA Chairperson Sonia and others against any risk of disqualification for holding offices of profit met with vehement protests in both Houses of Parliament.
The Opposition parties virtually shut down Parliament over the UPA Government's move to amend the law to protect Sonia Gandhi and others from disqualification.
Both Houses were adjourned over and over again after an uproar over the proposed move to bring in an ordinance.
The Opposition disrupted the proceedings over reported move by the government to bring in an ordinance to ensure that Sonia Gandhi and others do not fall under the office of profit category.
Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh said the Government's move was an attempt to bail out leaders of the UPA.
Members from the Samajwadi Party and BJP forced the adjournment of the Rajya Sabha twice in a row over the issue.
"Baki sab bahana hai, Sonia Gandhi ko bachana hai (everything else is a excuse, it is only to save Sonia)," the Opposition members chanted as they trooped into the Well of the House after the House reassembled at 1300 hrs (IST) after the first adjournment.
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Others, including BJP member SS Ahluwalia, called for the return of Jaya Bachchan. "Jaya Bachchan ko Vapas Lao (Bring back Jaya Bachchan)," they demanded.
The row erupted following reports that the UPA government is planning to bring in an ordinance to amend the law to bail out some of the top politicians, including UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, who are members of Parliament and also allegedly hold offices of profit.
The move is to amend the Parliament Prevention of Disqualification Act.
This will ensure that leaders such as UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee and Congress leader Karan Singh don't face disqualification on grounds of holding offices of profit.
The move stirred up a political debate after Jaya Bachchan was disqualified from the Rajya Sabha for holding a post of Chairperson of the UP Film Development Corporation.
"This government wants to protect Sonia Gandhi, who also faces charges of holding office of profit," says Leader of the Opposition, LK Advani.
The draft of the ordinance, which has reportedly been finalised, will amend the Parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) Act, 1959 and exempt a fresh batch of offices, including that of the National Advisory Council chairman (Sonia Gandhi), chairman of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (Karan Singh), state development boards, textile boards etc.
The draft ordinance will amend Section 3 of the PPDA and be subsequently introduced as a Bill in the current session as Parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) Amendment Bill.
However, the government move is bound to raise a lot of political heat as the ordinance is being brought in right in the middle of a Parliament session.
While the Government is trying to take advantage of the Parliament recess in between the ongoing Budget session, the move is seen as unprecendented as never before has an ordinance been brought under such circumstances.
Generally, an ordinance is brought only if it is needed to be enforced in between two Parliament session.
According to reports, the UPA government is in a hurry to push the ordinance through given the fact that after Jaya Bachchan's disqualification because of her holding the post of the chairperson of UP Film Development Corporation, there has been a flood of complaints against as many as 44 prominent MPs.
Prominent among them include Sonia Gandhi (Chairman of National Advisory Council and several Government-aided trusts), Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee (Chairman, West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation), Karan Singh (Chairman, Indian Council of Cultural Relations), Union Minister T Subbirami Reddy (Chairman, Tirupati trust).
(With agency inputs)
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