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| President Kalam makes his presence felt | | Parliamentary panel to study office-of-profit bill | | PARLIAMENTARY CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, AUG. 17:
The UPA government has initated a most significant move, apparently to kill two birds with one stone--to save itself from further embarrassment and to see that the President, APJ Abdul Kalam, is not allowed to run fast and furious. The move is: A joint committee of the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha will go through the constituion and legal position relating to the office-of-profit bill that was pased by both Houses in the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament.
President Kalam had earlier returned the bill with queries. Union Law Minister, H R Bhardwaj, told the media on Thursday that the joint committee will comprise 15 members -- 10 from the Lok Sabha who will be nominated by the Speaker, including the chairperson of the JPC, and five from the Rajya Sabha to be nominated by the Rajya Sabha Chairman.
The terms of reference, Bhardwaj said, would be to examine the context of the settled interpretations of office of profit (according to Article 102 of the Constitution), and underlying constitutional principles to suggest a comprehensive definition of office of profit. The panel will also recommend evaluation of generic and comprehensive criteria relating to the office of profit that are just, fair and reasonable and can be applied to all states and Union territories, Bhardwaj said. The joint parliamentary committee (JPC) will submit its report to the Lok Sabha by the first day of the last week of the next session of Parliament (that is, the winter session).
A fortnight after the passage of the controversial bill, the Manmohan Singh government seems finally ready to toe the President's line. The terms of reference of the parliamentary panel will be the same as the points raised by the President. President Kalam has not yet given his assent to the measure as 40 sitting MPs, including Lok Sabha Speaker, Somnath Chatterjee, face disqualification petitions against them.
The issue is understood to have figured during a brief unscheduled meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Kalam after the 'At Home' function hosted by the President on the ocassion of 60th Independence Day at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Wednesday. While there was no official word from either side, it is believed that the Prime Minister drew the President's attention to the complexities that may arise in the event of a delay in the legislation getting his assent.
The bill, which exempts 56 posts and gives reprieve to over 40 MPs on whom the axe of disqualification may fall, was sent to the President on August 1 after Parliament passed it for a second time without any changes. The constitution of this new committee is most likely a move to let the President know that he is not being ignored and that the Government is serious about tackling all concerns addressed by the President. |
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