Manmohan Singh says all options open

In a signal that the government will now strive to bring a Bill rather than an Ordinance to take out certain posts from the list of offices of profit, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said "all options" were open.

"There is no explicit decision as of now (on bringing the Ordinance). We have not considered the Ordinance. All options are open. We will discuss it with other political parties," Singh said.

Sources said an all-party meeting would be convened on the matter.

Referring to difficulties faced by the MPs of various parties including the Congress and the Left, Singh said, "There is a problem. All political parties and political persons are affected."

He described Sonia Gandhi's decision to resign from the Lok Sabha and as chairperson of the National Advisory Council as a proof that "she is the tallest leader and has a rare commitment to moral values which you don't find in plenty in our country."

On whether others charged with holding office of profit should take a hint from her resignation, the prime minister said, "I don't know." He gave a similar response when asked about Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, who, too, has been charged with holding an office of profit.

Asked why Parliament was adjourned abruptly, the Prime Minister said all political parties wanted to campaign for the elections. "This decision was not made yesterday. This decision was made with the consent of all political parties many, many days ago. It was decided that the House will reconvene after the elections, on May 10," he said.

To a question, the prime minister said the government would strive to have the "widest-possible consensus" among political parties on the ordinance.

Singh met President APJ Abdul Kalam shortly after the defence investiture ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan. An official press release said, "The prime minister apprised the president of the current developments". It gave no other details.