Office of profit: 40 more on 'hit-list'

New Delhi: It's two down and 40 more to go! Well, that's exactly the situation for at least 40 Indian MPs allegedly holding offices of profit.

Sonia Gandhi is not the only one accused of holding an office of profit. She is joined by more than 40 other MPs. In fact, the list reads like the who's who of the Indian political system and cuts across party lines.

Petitions have been filed for the disqualification of Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee for being the Chairman of West Bengal Industrial Development Cooperation, Union Minister Subbirami Reddy for holding the post of Chairman of Tirupati Trust, Congress leader Karan Singh who heads the ICCR, Rajya Sabha member Kapila Vatsyayan, president of Indira Gandhi National Center for Arts and BJP's V K Malhotra, who is the President of Archery federation. Suresh Kalmadi is President of the Indian Olympic Committe.

The Election Commission has also sent notices to Amar Singh of the Samajwadi Party, Rajya Sabha MP and Chairperson of UP Industrial Development Council.

Most of the other MPs are Left MPs from West Bengal. This is something Mamta Banerjee is using ahead of the Assembly elections in the state.

Some of the prominent MPs who allegedly hold offices of profit:

1. Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, (chairs Sriniketan-Shantineketan Development Authority)

2. CPM MP Mohammad Salim, (heads the West Bengal Minority Development Corporation)

3. CPM MP Hannan Mullah (chief of the State Waqf Board)

4. BJP MP VK Malhotra, (former president of the All India Council of Sports).

5. Congress MP Karan Singh, (chairman of Indian Council of Cultural Relations)

6. Amar Singh, SP, Chairperson of UP Industrial Development Council

7. Union Minister T Subbirami Reddy, (Chairman, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams)

8. Rajya Sabha MP Kapila Vatsayan (Director, IGNC)

9. Laxman Sheth - Chairman of the Haldia Development Authority

10. Hannan Mollah - Chairman of Wakf Board

11. Md Salim - chairman of the West Bengal Minority Finance Development Corporation

12. Swadesh Chakrabarty - chairman of Hooghly River Bridge Commission

13. Amitava Nandi - vice-chairman of West Bengal Fisheries Development Corporation.

PAGE_BREAK

The list is long and their fate uncertain

And after Sonia Gandhi's resignation as a Member of Parliament, the cry has become shriller for the resignation of other MPs with similar problems.

While the major parties -- including the BJP and Congress -- have kept mum on the status of other MPs who allegedly hold offices of profit, Trinamool Congress and JD(U) reiterated their demands seeking the resignation of all the MPs who allegedly hold offices of profit.

Stepping up her campaign, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee sought the resignation of Somnath Chatterjee, whom she has accused of holding office of profit, and 10 other CPI(M) MPs and said Sonia Gandhi had no option but to quit as MP as her membership could have been disqualified.

JD(U) asked all Congress MPs to emulate the example set by their leader Sonia Gandhi, who resigned from her Lok Sabha seat and as NAC Chairperson, and even demanded the resignation of the Lok Sabha Speaker.