Sonia still holding offices of profit, says SP

Yadav was speaking to reporters after the filing of nomination papers by Jaya Bachchan for RS bye-elections.

The Samajwadi Party has alleged that Congress president Sonia Gandhi still held several offices of profit.

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"Sonia Gandhi still has several offices of profit," party general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav said. He did not elaborate on the posts he was referring to.

Yadav was speaking to reporters after the filing of nomination papers by Jaya Bachchan for Rajya Sabha bye-elections.

Sonia was last month re-elected to the Lok Sabha, two months after she quit as an MP following charges from the opposition that she was holding an office of profit as chairperson of the National Advisory Council.

Yadav said that Bachchan, who too had quit as an MP over the office of profit issue, was "removed from the Rajya Sabha under a conspiracy and now we are sending her back to the Upper House".

He expressed confidence that both Samajwadi Party candidates would "romp home in the Rajya Sabha bye-elections comfortably" even if the opposition fielded a joint candidate.

The office of profit issue was hanging like Damocles' sword on several people after the denial of assent to the Bill by the President, Yadav claimed. "The Congress started this controversy and now it finds itself trapped in it," he said.

He, however, made it clear that his party would support the Bill if it was brought in Parliament again.