Modi is the only one smiling

The decision has paid dividends: Senior IAS officers have turned around some of corporations, such as Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals Ltd, Gujarat State Fertiliser Corporation and Gujarat Electricity Board.

The only exception to this rule was the recent appointment of Modi confidant and senior BJP leader from Rajkot Vijay Rupani, neither an MP nor an MLA, to the chairmanship of the Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Ltd TCGL. Two days before the party nominated him to the Rajya Sabha, he was asked to quit TCGL in keeping with the one-man-one-post principle.

The seeds of the calm were sown during the Keshubhai Patel regime. According to Urban Development Minister I K Jadeja, the state Assembly had then revised a list of boards and corporations, exempting most of them from the offices-of-profit ambit, barring a few such as GSFC, GEB, and State Water Supply and Sewerage Board. No BJP MLA or MP is on the board of these PSUs at present.

Jokes Gujarat BJP spokesman Purshottam Rupala, 8216;8216;When the CM has left no office for our party MLAs or MPs, there is no question of their making profit.8221;

Ironically though, there is a great deal of discontent among a section of BJP MLAs and workers who believe they should have been heading the lucrative boards/corporations.

But, riding on his party8217;s recent victory in the municipal and panchayat elections, Modi has been able to contain the resentment of his detractors. The current controversy will further mute the protests.

Elsewhere8230;
JHARKHAND Even before the Bachchan issue blew up, 11 MLAs were accused of holding offices of profit. Most of them were appointed after the Cabinet was pruned last June. Even CM Arjun Munda officiates as chairman of the state-owned thermal power company .
WEST BENGAL The fate of 11 CPM MPs holding 8216;8216;offices of profit8217;8217; hangs in balance, with Mamata Banerjee having referred their cases to the President.
UTTAR PRADESH On March 21, the Uttar Pradesh State Legislature Prevention of Disqualification Amendment Bill, 2006, became law, immunising chairmen, vice-chairmen and members of 79 state public undertakings, including Parliamentary Affairs Minister and UP Jal Nigam chief Md Azam Khan. But it does not cover UP Development Council chairman Amar Singh and UPFDC chief Jaya Bachchan: Neither is a member of the state legislature.
MAHARASHTRA The Maharashtra Legislature Members Removal of Disqualification Act, 1956, specifies 21 8216;safe8217; offices. Number 19 covers all offices in 8216;8216;any corporation, owned or controlled by the state government8217;8217;.
KARNATAKA The Karnataka Legislature Prevention of Disqualification Act, 1956, safeguards legislators from being disqualified for holding posts of chairmen and members of committees, provided they are not entitled and do not receive any remuneration.
HARYANA Haryana too has a law safeguarding certain offices from being considered offices of profit, among them the chief parliamentary secretary. All these positions come with salaries, official vehicles, residences and perks.
PUNJAB Punjab has granted posts to 29 MLAs: 15 are chairpersons of various boards and corporations, three are chief parliamentary secretaries and 11 are parliamentary secretaries. PSs and CPSs are in the safe bracket.
With state bureau reports