Uttarakhand Governor Dr Aziz Qureshi has given his approval to an ordinance, which was sent by the Bahuguna Cabinet to rescue their Cabinet Minister Harak Singh Rawat, despite opposition complaint regarding violation of office of profit category. With this ordinance government has cleared five corporations including Uttarakhand Seeds & Tarai Development Council (USTDC), Uttarakhand Purv Sainik Kalyan Nigam limited (UPNl) and other three from the ambit of office of profit. This would be applicable since inception of Congress lead Uttarakhand government. Now Opposition leader Ajay Bhatt claimed that they will challenge the decision in court once they receive a copy of the ordinance.
leader of Opposition Ajay Bhatt alleged that State Agriculture Minister Rawat still enjoying the posts, which comes under office of profit category. To rescue the minister State Government had brought ordinance bill and now Governor Dr Qureshi has given their approval on the bill. On what circumstances governor has given his accent will clear once they get a copy of the ordinance. In past state had also demitted from the disqualification under office of profit category but the bill was passed in the vidhan Sabha after having debate on it. Incumbent government has passed ordinance only to rescue the Cabinet Minister Harak Singh Rawat.
Bhatt further said that under article 191 we had submitted a memorandum to governor and mentioned that the cabinet minister is holding the post of office of profit. Thereafter governor had assured us that he would take appropriate action on it.
In this Ordinance, government have demitted five posts from office of profit category just to save their cabinet minister and it was nothing in public interest.
By passing ordinance government has ascertained our claim that the minister is holding office of profit. Now they will challenge the ordinance in court; otherwise it would be come trend.
With BJP in Uttarakhand threatening to move court over the issue of a Congress MlA heading three offices of profit, the state Cabinet had cleared an ordinance dropping five corporations, including the three held by the legislator, from the ambit of offices of profit.
With the Governor approval on the ordinance, the five offices named in it have been removed from the ambit of offices of profit. Three out of five offices, which were removed from the ambit of office of profit wit retrospective effects, include Uttarakhand Seeds and Tarai Development Corporation, Uttarakhand Poorva Sainik Kalyan Nigam ltd and Seed Certification Agency, are headed by Congress MlA and Minister Rawat.
The State Government was under attack from the opposition over the issue with the BJP threatened to move court if Rawat did not resign or was not ousted from the state assembly for heading these offices of profit despite being an MlA and a minister. Demanding his disqualification from the House, Bhatt said Rawat, who represents Rudraprayag assembly seat, has been heading these offices of profit in violation of the Constitution.
The circumstances don't call for an ordinance. Ordinances are brought in extraordinary circumstances and not to help a minister continue in office. Reminding the governor of the memorandum through which the BJP had drawn his attention to the issue, Bhatt asked him to treat it as an FIR in the matter and not to ratify the ordinance which drops these offices from the ambit of offices of profit with retrospective effect.