New Delhi: The 'power and profit' controversy took a curious turn on Wednesday with the Government reportedly trying to shield UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi by bringing in an ordinance and Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee refusing to preside over the House after he was accused of holding an office of profit.
The office of profit question caused a crisis in Parliament, with both Houses having been adjourned indefinitely after the Opposition raised a storm over the ordinance issue.
After the Government's plan for an ordinance to amend the Act, which defines office of profit, came to fore, the NDA accused the Government of trying to protect Sonia Gandhi.
And as Parliament was rocked by the controversy over MPs holding offices of profit, Chatterjee kept away from the House, saying he did it as a matter of propriety after his Chairmanship of a body in Shantiniketan, West Bengal, too became an issue in the debate.
"Since my name has appeared in a newspaper with regard to which some honourable members have been agitating, I said in my Constitutional duty that I (am) not sitting on the Chair by way of propriety," Chatterjee said in Parliament.
Both Houses of Parliament were repeatedly adjourned on Wednesday following a report that Government was considering bringing an Ordinance to exempt certain posts from the purview of office of profit.
Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Bannerjee had raked up the issue of Chatterjee being Chairman of the Sriniketan-Shantiniketan Development Corporation and said that he was holding an office of profit, a ground on which he could be disqualified.
Chatterjee expressed ignorance on whether the Government was contemplating to get the Budget session prorogued.
(With inputs from PTI)
Comments
0 comment