Thursday, March 23 2006 10:13 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Parliament was adjourned yesterday(Mar 22,2006) sine die 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.

Signficantly, on a day when Parliament was rocked on the issue, it was disclosed that President A P J Abdul Kalam has sent to the Election Commission the petitions seeking disqualification of Gandhi as Lok Sabha member and some other MPs 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.

The issue created uproar in both Houses of Parliament with the Opposition attacking the government on reports that it was bringing an Ordinance to exempt the posts held by Gandhi, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee and some Congress leaders from office of profit to stave off disqualification.

The Speaker did not attend the House today and later told reporters that as a matter of propriety he kept away because some members had raised the issue of his holding an office of profit--an apprent reference to his being the Chairman of Sriniketan-Shantiniketan Development Authority.

Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Bannerjee had raised the issue of the Speaker and several other CPI(M) MPs and MLAs holding offices of profit.

Amidst Parliamentary uproar, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met with senior ministers H R Bhardwaj (Law), Shivraj V Patil (Home) and P R Dasmunsi (Parliamentary Affairs) and is understood to have discussed the issue of an Ordinance. Leader of the Opposition L K Advani warned the government against getting Parliament prorogued to enable issue of an Ordinance.

Later an Opposition delegation led by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee petitioned Kalam that he should not give his consent to any Ordinance aimed at 'protecting Gandhi and others from 'a certain is qualification'.

Both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were thrown into turmoil repeatedly but the government did not make any statement to clarify the position except a hint from Parliamentary Affairs Priyaranjan Dasmunsi.

"It is for the government to see if there are any shortcomings in the existing laws" relating to office of profit, Dasmunsi told reporters who plied him with questions whether the government was contemplating an Ordinance to 'save' Gandhi and Chatterjee.

The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs is meeting tomorrow ahead of a meeting of the full Cabinet amidst speculation that the Ordinance may come up.