Will not oppose TRAI amendment bill: Sharad Pawar

Mumbai: NCP will not oppose the Bill to amend TRAI Act, which seeks to remove a legal hurdle in appointment of former chairman of telecom regulatory body Nripendra Mishra as principal secretary to the Prime Minister, party chief Sharad Pawar said on Saturday.

"We will not oppose it in Parliament. There is no need to take an extreme step," Pawar said, reflecting divisions in the UPA over the issue. Congress has raised objections to the government's move to amend the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India act, saying it was done in ‘unholy haste’.

"It is not as if a person has left government service and joined Reliance or another private sector. He has returned to the government sector," Pawar told reporters.

The NCP president cited the example of TKA Nair, an IAS officer of Punjab cadre, who after retiring from service became principal secretary to Manmohan Singh when he was the Prime Minister.

Igoring objections by political parties, government on Friday 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."