Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Office of Profit Bill

At last, both Houses of Parliament have passed the Parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) Amendment Bill, 2006, in its original form. There is no doubt Parliament is supreme but when the head of state returns a bill, it is important to take it seriously. It underscores the need for a re-look.

When the service conditions of millions of employees prohibit their involvement in any activity, profitable or otherwise, other than the one for which they are appointed, our MPs should have paused and done what was necessary to maintain people's faith in parliamentary democracy.

S. Vanmeekanathan,
Chennai

* * *

That the Office of Profit bill has been passed by both the Houses without any change and sent to the President, who had returned it for reconsideration in May, is unfortunate.

It shows the high-handedness of our MPs, who have demonstrated that they care neither for the spirit of our Constitution nor for the will of the people.

Singanallur Sundaram,
Hyderabad

* * *

The bills that are passed by Parliament without a hitch and in almost record time are those that give maximum profits to our representatives. The latest is the Office of Profit bill. If MPs are so keen on retaining their privileges, they should agree to forgo salary on the days Parliament's proceedings are stalled.

Captain K. Vasudevan (retd.),
Coimbatore

* * *

An MP actively connected with education, aviation, IT, sports or fine arts can effectively work for measures to promote the sector. Those who hold offices other than that of an MP can bring awareness of ground realities in specialised domains leading to meaningful legislative debates.

The best way to tackle the issue is to remove the constitutional restriction altogether. Holding an office of profit should be seen as a desirable, if not mandatory, requirement for becoming an MP.

R. Narayanan,
Thiruvananthapuram

* * *

The passage of the Bill yet again has rekindled the debate on the effectiveness and purpose of having the highly ceremonial offices of President and Governor.

Without any disrespect to the President, it must be said that no useful purpose was served when he returned the Bill to Parliament. The constitutional offices of President and Governor involve very huge expenses and we need to revisit the issue of the viability of maintaining them.

M.V. Devraj,
Bangalore

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