Office of profit: Govt jittery

Concerns are rising in the government over the office of profit issue, with senior political managers in the Congress urging the government to rethink sending the Bill back to the president for assent in the same form.

According to a senior Cabinet minister, several people including him have apprehensions that a crisis is in the making as far as this issue is concerned.

"It is not a simple matter that the President has returned the office of profit Bill. He has expressed genuine and legitimate concerns, and not done it lightly," he said.

"I am in favour of reviewing the Bill and exploring whether the concerns expre-ssed by Kalam can be incorporated in the Bill," he said.

"The government is acting under pressure from its allies, but the matter is not so easy," he added. In fact, even though a fresh Cabinet note on the Bill is ready and the law minister has gone on record saying that "there were no lacunae in the Bill", the matter has not come before the Cabinet yet.

CPM General Secretary Prakash Karat met UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi at 10, Janpath on a day when the government announced a hike in oil prices.

However, the topic of discussion was the Bill on office of profit.

At least, two-dozen Left MPs including Speaker Somnath Chatterjee have been served notices for allegedly occupying offices of profit, and the Election Commission has to proceed on these cases till the Bill is notified.

"Under no circumstances can we return the Bill as it is to the President. He has not sent the Bill back to harass the government. He has legitimate concerns," said the minister belonging to the Congress.

Although a core committee meeting of Congress leaders and the government was held on Friday and decided to return the Bill in its present form to the President, the fact that it has not been brought before the Cabinet yet indicates that they are in two minds.