Agencies Posted online: Thursday, March 23, 2006 at 1228 hours IST Updated: Friday, March 24, 2006 at 0538 hours IST
New Delhi, March 23: In the wake of crisis arising out of the office of profit issue, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday, announced her resignation from Lok Sabha as a Member of Parliament as well as the chairperson of National Advisory Council (NAC), an office that threatened to cost her seat in Parliament.
After consultations with top leaders including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, she came out with a brief statement in which she regretted that certain people in the country were creating an atmosphere to project that the government and Parliament were being used to protect her.
"This has hurt me very much. I have stated it earlier also that I am in politics and public life not for my selfish ends. I have taken a pledge to serve the people of the country and to protect the secular ideals.
"So in keeping with my public life and political principles and according to my own belief, I resign as a member of Lok Sabha and chairperson of NAC. I hope my constituency (Rae Bareli) understands and respects my move," she said in a statement read out at her 10, Janpath residence with son Rahul by her side. Sonia Gandhi was in the midst of her second term in Lok Sabha with her first term from Amethi.
Maintaining that she had full faith in the people of Rae Bareli, from where she was elected and that the nation would understand her feelings, Sonia said, "I did this because it was the right thing to do. I will fight back and I will contest again from Rae Bareli."
With overnight indications that the government was keen on bringing an ordinance after getting the Parliament adjourned sine die, the Union cabinet met on Thursday but the issue did not come up, apparently because of Sonia's reservations over including NAC in the list office of profit sought to be exempted.
While the congressmen were keen that the NAC should be also covered by the amendment to the Members of Parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) act, the Congress President was firm that she should not be seen as being benefited by any legal device.
The ordinance aimed at identifying 62 posts as offices of non-profit.
As the BJP-led NDA and Samajwadi Party mounted a major political campaign against Gandhi, she sprang a surprise that could take away the sting from the Opposition attack that the government's move for an ordinance to redefine office of profit was aimed at saving her from 'a certain disqualification' as MP.
The resignation came on day the BJP petitioned president A P J Abdul Kalam seeking her disqualification from Lok sabha on the ground she held an office of profit as chairperson of NAC. The TDP had already petitioned the president last week in this regard.
Meanwhile, Left said that the law can change but the decision should be left to the Parliament and not the Congress party.
The Union Cabinet meet held on Thursday ended without any decision on the office of profit issue.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission denied having received any complaint against Sonia Gandhi.
Government had decided to promulgate an ordinance to identify some posts as office of non-profit, a move the opposition alleged is a ploy to "bail out" Congress chief Sonia Gandhi from a "certain disqualification" as MP.
This was understood to have been decided at a meeting at the official residence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, which ended at the stroke of midnight.
The sources said 62 petitions relating to disqualification of MPs on the ground that they hold offices of profit were pending.
New Delhi, March 23: In the wake of crisis arising out of the office of profit issue, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday, announced her resignation from Lok Sabha as a Member of Parliament as well as the chairperson of National Advisory Council (NAC), an office that threatened to cost her seat in Parliament.
