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- By Parinda News Bureau, March 23, 2006, 12:17 IST
The Congress-led UPA Government on Wednesday forced an abrupt sine die adjournment of Parliament, to facilitate the promulgation of an Ordinance that will shield Congress president Sonia Gandhi and several prominent MPs from disqualification for holding offices of profit.
An ordinance can be promulgated only when both the Houses are not in session.
Immediately after the abrupt adjournment, NDA MPs marched to the Rashtrapati Bhawan to urge President APJ Abdul Kalam not to sign the "Office of profit" ordinance "and thus give -presidential sanction to this sacrilege."
They told the President that Parliament was shut "solely and exclusively for the purpose of promulgating an ordinance to save Sonia Gandhi, president of the Congress party and chairperson of the National Advisory Council, from certain disqualification on ground of holding an office of profit."
Pointing out that Samajwadi Party's MP Jaya Bachchan was disqualified on a similar ground, they asserted in a memorandum to Dr Kalam that "there cannot be double standards in application of the law".
"You can gauge our sense of anguish and outrage from the fact that we have come marching straight from Parliament House to Rashtrapati Bhawan," after the government's "brazen attack" on Parliamentary system, they said in a memorandum to Dr Kalam.
The march was led by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, NDA convener George Fernandes and two leaders of Opposition Lal Krishna Advani and Yaswant Singh.
The memorandum said: "Only last week, leaders of the Congress were gloating over your approval for a recommendation by the Election Commission to disqualify Jaya Bachchan for holding an "office of profit". Even the application seeking her disqualification was moved by a Congress member in Uttar Pradesh, it was further pointed out.
Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee himself chose to stay away from the proceedings of the House on the ground that he too is said to be holding an office of profit. "Since my name has been involved by some members, it will not be appropriate for me to sit on the Chair," he told reporters in Parliament House. Hours before the sine die adjournment he voiced ignorance about any such adjournment move.
The sine die adjournment triggered immediate resentment in! the Opposition camp with Leader of the Opposition L K Advani describing the development as "singularly unfortunate event in the history of Indian Parliament." While Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker Charanjit Atwal adjourned the House sine die amidst cries of "Sonia Gandhi, shame shame," Rajya Sabha chairman Bhairon; Singh Shekhawat followed suit amidst cries of 'Tanashahi nahin Chalegi.' The Government's ostensible reason for having the Houses adjourned was the completion of all its legislative and financial business with nothing left for the rest of the session.
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