Indian ruling and opposition consensus on 'office of profit'

[b]Indian ruling and opposition consensus on 'office of profit'[/b]

By M Rama Rao - in New Delhi

[b]New Delhi, 28 March, (Asiantribune.com): [/b]India's ruling and opposition parties have reached a consensus to end acrimony over an issue that had shaken the conscious of the nation. Parliament will be called early May to legislate on the issue, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunshi, who had held discussions with the opposition leaders over the weekend, told reporters after a meeting yesterday with the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The priority agenda before the session would be a comprehensive legislation on office of profit and a clear definition of the term, he said adding that the Federal Cabinet would meet on Thursday to fix dates for summoning Parliament, which had adjourned sine die on March 22 at the end of its budget session.

The existing law on the subject, which had undergone several amendments over the past forty years was found inadequate, early March when an opposition member of India's Upper House Rajya Sabha, Jaya Bachchan faced disqualification. Jaya, the wife of Amitabh Bachchan, a leading Bollywood star, was disqualified as she was holding the office of chairperson of Uttar Pradesh Film Development Council. This office was not covered under the present law which gives immunity to law makers from disqualification for heading various government councils and corporations at the provincial and federal level.

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