Question in Rajya Sabha: Can a minister take up part-time work?

NEW DELHI: Questions were raised in the Rajya Sabha today 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 Amarinder Singh-led Congress government in Punjab.

Agrawal also alleged that 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 P J 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 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.

Another Congress member Pramod Tiwari raised the question about attack on Indians abroad.

He referred to a recent case where a youth from Kottayam in Kerala became a victim in Australia and wanted to know what the government was doing in this regard.

Actress-turned-politician Jaya Bachchan, who is an SP member, raised the issue of hate speeches and alleged that the minorities in the country were being intimidated.