Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who has been on loggerheads with the party leadership for his contrasting views on several issues, on Wednesday appeared to have taken yet another differing stand on the bills to remove the prime minister, chief ministers, and ministers.
The three bills — The Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, 2025; The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2025; and the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, 2025 — are likely to be introduced in the Lok Sabha by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday.
These amendments provide legal framwork for removal of ministers who are arrested and kept in custody for 30 consecutive days on allegations of an offence punishable with imprisonment of five years or more. They shall be removed from office on the 31st day.
Reacting to the bills, Congress MP from Wayanad, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the bills are “draconian”, saying these are just to put a veil across the eyes of the people. “Tomorrow, you can put any kind of a case on a CM, have him arrested for 30 days without conviction, and he ceases to be a CM. It is absolutely anti-constitutional, undemocratic and very unfortunate,” she told reporters outside Parliament.
Tharoor, however, presented contrasting views, saying it was reasonable that anyone who does anything wrong should be liable for punishment.
“On the face of it, it seems reasonable that anyone who does anything wrong should be liable to punishment and should not be holding a high constitutional office or a political office. I think that makes sense,” he said.
Several other Opposition leaders also crticised the proposed ammendments with Sudhakar Singh of RJD calling it a step towards dictatorship.
“A step is being taken to move towards dictatorship in the country; if any person challenges the establishment of power, such people will be arrested overnight and sent to jail. India is on the verge of becoming Pakistan and Bangladesh, where opposition leaders are either in jail or abroad. An attempt is being made to adopt the same method inside India, which will be opposed…,” he said.
AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi called the bills unconstitutional and asked who would arrest the prime minister?” “All in all, the BJP government wants to make our country a police state through these bills…We will oppose them. The BJP is forgetting that power is not eternal,” he added.