Please don't sign ordinance on convicted netas: BJP to Prez

The Bharatiya Janata Party has asked President Pranab Mukherjee not to sign the "unconstitutional" ordinance aimed at protecting convicted MPs and MLAs from facing immediate disqualification.

Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday night tweeted that her party was opposed to the ordinance approved by the union cabinet and "we request the President not to sign this ordinance".

"President is not obliged to sign an ordinance that is unconstitutional", she said in her post on the social network site.

Earlier, BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman hit out at the ordinance wondering if it was brought to protect some leaders close to the ruling party.

"Why has the government brought this ordinance? Why is it in a hurry to bring this through an Executive Order and in such a hurry? There is some other motive behind bringing this ordinance," she said.

The union cabinet approved the ordinance which will negate an order of the Supreme Court that disqualified convicted MPs and MLAs immediately even if their appeal is pending in a higher court.

The main Opposition said the government had shown similar haste on the issue of FDI in multi-brand retail and Food Security. In the latter case too, the UPA government had come out with an ordinance just days before the monsoon session of Parliament.

"Congress has shown extraordinary interest in bringing this executive order today. The same government, which has shown a policy paralysis, is doing this," Sitharaman said.

The party said on the issue of FDI in multi-brand retail too the government had come out with an executive order though the "mood of the nation" and the view of the Parliamentary Standing Committee was against it.

"Let the government explain first why it is bringing the ordinance and then it will react to its provisions," the party said.

BJP leaders maintained that government has resorted to the ordinance route as RJD leader Lalu Prasad, who is an UPA ally, will be affected as the verdict on the fodder scam is likely to come on September 30.

Congress Rajya Sabha MP Rasheed Masood was found guilty by the Supreme Court of fraudulently nominating undeserving candidates to MBBS seats when he was Minister of Health in the V P Singh government.

BJP had stalled the introduction of a Bill on this issue in the last monsoon session of Parliament.