PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 737
want to avoid. Therefore I say, it is no business of the Government to decide whether an office held is an office of profit or not. That is something for the President or for Parliament to decide.
Dr. Ambedkar: That is why the Bill has been brought before Parliament.
Pandit Thakur Das Bhargava: For Government to arrogate this power to themselves is certainly wrong. If they say that they have got the President in the hollow of their hand and they can fix a standard of profit I do say thay are wrong. In certain cases it is the President in consultation with Election Commission who has to decide whether an office is an office of profit or not and in other cases Parliament decides. I do not think that the Finance Ministry or the Government can decide this matter at all.
Shri Sidhva : Shall we not agree that whatever allowance is drawn up to the limit of the allowance of a Member of Parliament shall not be considered a disqualification ? House should decide this matter and not Dr. Ambedkar.
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Having heard the discussion, I can only say at this stage that there is nothing to prevent us from adding a clause here to the Bill itself to say that notwithstanding anything contained so far, if a Member of Parliament is on any committee and does not draw an allowance more than that drawn by him as a Member of Parliament, he shall not be deemed to be disqualified. That is just a suggestion. In that case it would not be open to the objection that Government is placing allurements before Members, because nothing more than Rs. 40 will be paid. But there is this difficulty that if an official is appointed on a committee he will continue to draw a different rate of allowance, probably according to the salary he draws. But this matter may be considered. I would therefore allow this to stand over till to-morrow and get through with Mr. Narayan Mahtha’s amendment.
Shri Kamath: Sir, last year this House decided that the offices of the Minister of State and the Deputy Minister would