Legislature should decide office of profit: CPI-M

According to the CPI(M) the issue of whether a MP was holding an office of profit should be decided by the legislature and the EC.

The CPI(M) said on Friday that the issue of whether a Member of Parliament was holding an office of profit should be decided by the legislature and the Election Commission should decide on such matters only at the time of elections.

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Reacting to questions on disqualification of SP's Rajya Sabha MP Jaya Bachchan, party leaders Mohd Salim and Basudeb Acharia told reporters in New Delhi that the parliamentary committee on offices of profit comprising members of both Houses had already notified posts which did not fall into this category.

But there remained a grey area as there was no exhaustive list of such posts. The issue, therefore, should be decided on the basis of "whether the spirit of the law is being violated or not", Salim said adding that what would happen to a MP who held such a post but did not take any salary or perks.

To specific queries on the Bachchan case, he said the matter was between the President and the Election Commission "though it should have been decided by the poll panel at the time of her election".

On yesterday's attack by US forces on Samara in Iraq, Acharia said "our apprehensions are coming true and the US is planning to mount such attacks on Iran as well. We demand immediate and unconditional withdrawal of the occupation forces from Iraq".

Acharia also condemned the arrest of a Kerala bishop in Delhi by the Rajasthan police and claimed his whereabouts were not known.