New Delhi, March 23
Even as the CPM today ruled out resignation of its MPs despite Congress President Sonia Gandhi stepping down over the controversial issue of holding office of profit, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee reportedly claimed that his holding the office of Chairperson of the Sriniketan-Shantiniketan Development Authority was not an office of profit.

“Our MPs will not resign,” CPM General Secretary Prakash Karat told reporters here shortly after Mrs Gandhi announced her decision.

Karat, whose party is a crucial supporting ally of the ruling UPA, said the government will not bring any Ordinance on the issue of office of profit and that Parliament would decide the matter.

Sources in the Speaker’s office said, “he is of the considered view that he is not holding any office of profit” and he was not contemplating any move to quit the House in the wake of Sonia Gandhi’s resignation.

Trinamool Congress president Mamata Banerjee today demanded that Mr Chatterjee and 11 other CPM MPs should follow Sonia Gandhi's example of resigning their seats in Parliament because they were holding offices of profit.

The CPI opposed any Ordinance to re-define 'offices of profit' while the CPM as not forthcoming on the issue saying only Parliament was empowered to legislate on the matter.

CPI leader D Raja, who met CPM General Secretary Prakash Karat here, later told reporters that "we are not for the Ordinance route. Parliament is empowered to decide and only it should decide.”

The CPM Politburo issued a statement saying "Under the Constitution, Parliament is empowered to decide on the definition of 'office of profit' and to exempt any office from disqualifying its holder under the 'office of profit' clause".