— Photo: PTI

IN CONFABULATION: NDA convener George Fernandes, former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, L.K. Advani, at an NDA meeting in New Delhi on Monday.

NEW DELHI: The Lok Sabha will take up on Tuesday legislation to amend the Parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) Act for consideration and passing, if the chair allows it, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi said on Monday. It would be taken up by the Rajya Sabha the following day.

After an evening meeting of the National Democratic Alliance, it was announced that the NDA "would not support the Bill." Although some NDA partners earlier conveyed to the Government that they were not averse to supporting the legislation, the BJP persuaded them to change their minds. The BJP's strategy is to use the exemption being given to the position of chairperson of the National Advisory Council (NAC) to target Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who earlier held that post.

The Bill, already circulated, includes NAC chairperson as an office to be added to the list of those that will not attract disqualification. There is a view in the Congress that Ms. Gandhi must come back as NAC chairperson, while there are also reports that she does not want to do so.

The issue of office of profit blew up in March after the Government adjourned Parliament sine die on the last day of the first part of the budget session. The Opposition alleged that the Government would prorogue the House and bring in legislation on the office-of-profit issue "to protect" Ms. Gandhi through the ordinance route. That led to Ms. Gandhi resigning from the Lok Sabha as well as the NAC even as the Congress described as baseless the Opposition allegation that Parliament was being subverted to benefit her.

The position of chairperson of the Uttar Pradesh Film Development Council, declared an office of profit by the Election Commission leading to the Samajwadi Party's Jaya Bachchan from the Rayja Sabha, would also be exempted if the amendment Bill was passed. "What the Supreme Court has already done — upheld her disqualification — cannot be undone, but, yes, Ms. Bachchan could contest for the Rajya Sabha again and get back her position," Mr. Dasmunsi said.

Although the BJP has officially not given any suggestion on exemptions to be included in the Bill, informally its MPs approached the Congress to ask for inclusion of positions on trusts and registered societies, and the Government has obliged.

On Monday Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, an ally of the BJP, suggested that the position of Parliamentary Secretary at the Centre and in the States be exempted. "I have forwarded that suggestion to the Law Ministry," Mr. Dasmunsi said.

The chairman of the Santiniketan Development Authority — the Speaker holds this position — has also been included in the list of exempted offices.

Besides listing specific positions, the Bill seeks exemption from disqualification of the "chairman, the deputy chairman, the secretary or member (by whatever name called) in any statutory or non-statutory body specified in the table; the chairperson or trustee of any trust, whether public or private, not specified in the schedule" and positions "in any society registered under the Societies registration Act, 1860, or under any other law relating to registration of societies" not specified in the schedule.

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