With members cutting across party lines giving priority to people’s issues, like price rise and Mumbai blasts, the office-of-profit Bill is likely to come up in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday and in the Lok Sabha on the following Monday.

‘‘It is expected to be taken up in the Upper House the day after as members are keen to discuss Mumbai blasts tomorrow and in the Lok Sabha on Monday,’’ Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi said.

Though the BJP could not garner much support among the political parties on the proposal of sending the Bill to the Supreme Court through the President, it has willy-nilly managed to get the reintroduction of the Bill deferred.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission has directed the West Bengal Government to provide information on the petitions against the 10 CPI(M) MPs by Monday. Even if the Bill is re-passed by the Upper House on Thursday, by the time it can be taken up by the Lower House the EC would be in a position to judge the merit of the petition against the CPI(M) MPs facing disqualification.

The EC had earlier hauled up the Left Front government in West Bengal for refusing to provide additional information on the petition sought by it.

However, the President’s message on the OoP Bill was read out to the Upper House today, which chose to discuss the issue of price rise amidst a walkout by the Shiv Sena.

Apart from the OoP Bill, which will be carried over to the next week, the government hopes to pass the Food Safety & Standards Bill, 2005, and Cantonment Bill this week.

... contd.