Punjab MLAs will soon be allowed to hold office of profit

punjab

Updated: Jun 28, 2018 09:19 IST

The Punjab Cabinet on Wednesday paved the way for MLAs to hold several new categories of office of profit by approving some amendments to the Punjab State Legislature (Prevention of Disqualification) Act 1952.

It’s seen as a move to placate some disgruntled legislators of the ruling party as the amendment will allow them to hold several key posts in the state boards and corporations and other bodies considered as office of profit.

The amendments will also protect the MLAs from disqualification in certain additional cases of office of profit, apart from the ones included in the original Act.

The Congress, which has been running the government in Punjab since March 2017, has 78 legislators in the 117-member assembly. But only 18 of them, including the chief minister, hold ministerial berths. This has led to a lot of discontent among Congress MLAs who could not make it into the cabinet.

Party sources said with the amendment at least 20 party MLAs could be adjusted on key positions.

“The cabinet has passed a memorandum giving all powers to the CM to approve the ordinance which at a later stages will be passed in the assembly,” parliamentary affairs minister Brahm Mohindra told HT.

Various high courts have come down on lawmakers for holding office of profit. As many as 21 lawmakers of the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi were disqualified by a court last year for this.