Questions were raised in the Rajya Sabha on Monday as to whether a minister can take up part-time work. Raising the issue without naming Navjot Singh Sidhu, Samajwadi Party member Naresh Agrawal said there is a discussion in the media about a case in Punjab.
Sidhu, cricketer-turned-politician, has been insisting on continuing to appear in the TV show even after becoming a minister in Capt Amarinder Singh-led Congress government in Punjab.
Agrawal also alleged that Union finance minister Arun Jaitley and law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad are noted lawyers and they too charge hefty amounts for providing legal advice.
Deputy speaker PJ Kurien, who was in the chair, said there was no evidence to back the claim and was a mere allegation. However, Agrawal kept insisting that the matter was serious, after which the minister of state for parliamentary affairs, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, said the SP member’s claims were “factually wrong”.
Congress member Rajeev Shukla raised a question as to whether retired judges should give their opinions or arbitration.
Source: HindustanTimes