BJD's Jay Panda supports bill to amend TRAI act

He said the PM should have the option to have people of his choice in his office

BJD MP Baijayant 'Jay' Panda today supported the Bill to amend TRAI Act which seeks to remove a legal hurdle in the appointment of former chairman of telecom regulatory body Nripendra Mishra as principal secretary to the Prime Minister.

While his party's stand on the issue is not clear yet, Panda said the Prime Minister should have the option to have people of his choice in his office and suggested that the opposition should take up "bigger issues" with the government.

"My personal opinion about it that we should not be petty about it. It was in fact cooling off period. Almost all regulatory and other government agencies have a two-year cooling off period. TRAI had an indefinite cooling off period which is being rectified by ordinance and now by the Act.

"I don't think there is any problem in it. Prime Minister should have the option to have people of his choice in his office. And it would only bring TRAI in line with other regulatory agencies," he told reporters outside the Parliament House here.

"Finally... The whole idea is that (there are) bigger issues that we need to take up with the government," he added.

Ignoring objections by political parties, government last week introduced the Bill in the Lok Sabha to replace an ordinance issued on May 28 to change a clause in the TRAI Act which would have prevented Misra from taking up the government post after retirement.

Misra, a 1967 batch IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre who retired in 2009, joined the PMO the same day the ordinance was promulgated and the bill has been brought to give his appointment the requisite legal backing.

Congress has indicated it would oppose the legislation, saying "unholy haste and focus in having one person, who is challenged by law, shows that they have scant regard for the processes of law.