New Delhi, August 1
The controversial Office of Profit Bill, which was passed by Parliament amid resistance by the Opposition, was sent to the President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam today for his assent.
The Bill, which exempts 56 posts and provides reprieve to over 40 MPs, who could have faced disqualification, was sent to the President two months after he had returned it to Parliament for reconsideration.
Controversy over the Office of Profit issue in the wake of disqualification of Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan had led to the Opposition targeting Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who resigned from the chairpersonship of the National Advisory Council and the Lok Sabha, and was subsequently re-elected from Rae Bareli.
The BJP pleaded in Parliament against the measure contending that a message should not go that the Bill had been brought to “save” MPs. It said the Bill was not aimed at exempting offices from disqualification but to protect those who now held them.
