The “traditional recess” of the Budget session would have been an impediment to the promulgation of the ordinance. “During recess” of Parliament, the President may promulgate an ordinance only in an emergency situation. With both Houses adjourned sine die, Parliament would “technically” not be in session and an ordinance can be promulgated.

The UPA hurry stems from the fact that there are at least 44 complaints against prominent MPs with the President. These include Sonia Gandhi (chairperson of National Advisory Council and several Govt-aided trusts), Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee (chairman, West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation), Karan Singh (chairman, Indian Council for Cultural Relations), Union Minister T Subbirami Reddy (chairman, Tirupati trust).

In fact, Somnath Chatterjee stayed away from presiding over Lok Sabha today on the ground that he had been named as one of the persons holding an office of profit. “Since my name has been involved by some members, it will not be appropriate for me to sit on the chair,” he told reporters.

The Government move was made formal when Lok Sabha re-assembled at 4.30 pm. Deputy Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal said he had received a request from the Government and urged leaders of political parties to meet in the Speaker’s chamber. Following this announcement, he adjourned the house for ten minutes.

Atwal returned and said the Government had requested the Speaker that since there was no government business for the remaining part of the budget session, the House should be adjourned sine die. Outside the House, the Congress struggled to dissociate the ordinance from a specific connection with Sonia Gandhi. Party members said there would be another ordinance too: for witness protection in the wake of the Jessica Lall case. This, the party hinted, could precede the ordinance on offices of profit. Clearly, a move to explain the ordinances as responses to “urgent concerns”. SP’s Amar Singh, against whom a disqualification petition is pending, and TDP’s Yerran Naidu, who complained against Congress leaders, met Kalam and claimed that the President had forwarded petitions seeking disqualification of Sonia Gandhi, Karan Singh and Subbirami Reddy to the Election Commission.

... contd.