A stormy session of Parliament erupted on Wednesday as Union Home Minister Amit Shah introduced three controversial bills aimed at removing the Prime Minister, Chief Ministers, or ministers if they are arrested and kept in custody for 30 consecutive days.
The proposed laws — the Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill — triggered uproar from the opposition, who called the move “draconian.”
As Amit Shah moved the bills in the Lok Sabha, opposition MPs tore copies of the legislation and even threw them in the direction of the Home Minister. Visuals from the House showed pieces of paper falling near Shah as opposition leaders shouted slogans of “Bill waapis lo.”
Opposition Raises Alarm
Congress and other opposition parties have alleged that the government is attempting to destabilise non-BJP-ruled states through arbitrary arrests. “This bill violates the basic principle of the Constitution. When Amit Shah was the Home Minister of Gujarat, he was arrested. Did he uphold morality then?” Congress MP KC Venugopal asked during the heated debate.
In reply, an agitated Shah defended himself, stating: “There were false allegations against me. I had resigned on moral grounds till I was under trial. I did not hold a single constitutional post till I was cleared of all the charges by the court.” He reminded the House that in 2014, a special CBI court acquitted him of all charges due to lack of evidence.
“Police State” Allegations
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi launched a scathing attack on the Centre, warning that the legislation could lead to authoritarianism. “This government is hell-bent on creating a police state. It gives executive agencies a free run to become judge and executioner… This will be a death knell unleashed on elected governments,” Owaisi said, even comparing the proposed laws to the Gestapo — the secret police of Nazi Germany.
Congress MP Manish Tewari too voiced concern, calling the bills “squarely destructive of the Constitution’s basic structure.” He warned: “This bill opens the door for political misuse by instrumentalities of the state whose arbitrary conduct has been repeatedly frowned upon by the Supreme Court.”
The Proposed Change
Currently, there is no provision to remove a sitting minister even if they face serious criminal charges. Under the proposed amendments, any Prime Minister, Chief Minister, or minister facing charges that carry at least a five-year jail term would automatically lose office on the 31st day of custody.
However, the bills also state that the leaders could be reappointed if released from custody, leaving room for political comebacks.
Political Flashpoint Ahead
The government insists the move is necessary to uphold integrity in public office, but the opposition claims it is a tool to weaponize investigative agencies against elected leaders. With Parliament already witnessing unprecedented chaos, the battle over these bills is likely to escalate further in the days to come.
