Cabinet to discuss OoP tomorrow

Congress prepares to face Opposition onslaught in Parliament.

The Union Cabinet is scheduled to meet on Saturday to discuss strategy on the Office of Profit Bill issue. Top government sources confirmed that the meeting called at short notice is primarily a brainstorming session on how to deal with the issue in the ongoing monsoon session.

Meanwhile, the Congress party has asked all its MPs to be particularly present in Parliament between July 24-29. The party feels that the Opposition may bring in adjournment motion against the UPA, citing price rise or even the pending Office of Profit (OoP) Bill. There is even talk of putting the OoP Bill to vote again.

The BJP today indicated that it may seek legal recourse against the Bill being enacted.

"All MPs have been told to be in town and not absent themselves from Parliament," said a senior minister in the government.

The government has also indicated that increasing pressure from the Left may lead the government to return the Bill without incorporating any of the changes suggested by President A P J Abdul Kalam.

"The Left stands to lose at least 17 MPs including Speaker Somnath Chatterjee. The government is in a tough position," added a senior minister.

The BJP, meanwhile, said that it would not be changing its fundamental positions in the matter and if not through the party then "individually" the matter may be taken up in court. "Our fundamental position on the matter will not change. We think that the present Bill completely dilutes the Constitutional provisions," said a senior leader.

"We are looking at three basic parameters on the issue. Either the Constitution is followed strictly, or a one-time exemption for past transgressions is granted with the strictest understanding that no breach would be tolerated further, or the office is delinked from profit, which means no cars, telephones, assistants, extra cars, etc," said a senior office-bearer of the party.

"The BJP actually feels that the last solution is the most practicable and workable of the three. The present Bill is a disaster and is destructive. It gives no guarantees that the spirit of the constitutional provisions will be respected," he added.

The monsoon session of Parliament will see a lot of fireworks, with the BJP also proposing to bring a no-confidence motion against Speaker Somnath Chatterjee.

An adjournment motion against the government is also in the offing, with several notices being given on issues such as price rise and farmers' suicides.