Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati has strongly opposed the 130th Constitution Amendment Bill, which was tabled in the Lok Sabha by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday.
She expressed her concerns on social media platform ‘X’ on Thursday, calling the bill a move that appears to weaken democracy and fuel political misuse.
In her statement, Mayawati said, “The 130th Constitution Amendment Bill, introduced in Parliament yesterday amidst heavy chaos, clearly seems to weaken democracy in light of the prevailing political circumstances in the country. The public fears that ruling parties will largely misuse it for their own benefit, selfish motives, and political vendettas.”
She urged the government to reconsider the bill in the interest of the Constitution and democratic values, asserting that her party is “completely opposed” to the proposed legislation.
The bill, introduced by Home Minister Amit Shah on August 20, provide a legal framework for removing the prime minister, union ministers, chief minister and minister in States and union territories arrested and detained on serious criminal charges.
Shah said that three legislations will be referred to a joint Parliamentary Committee for detailed scrutiny even as Opposition MPs, essentially from Trinamool Congress and Congress, launched into aggressive protests and tore copies of the Bills.
While the government claims it aims to strengthen grassroots democracy and ensure transparency and accountability in governance, Opposition MPs said that the bills violated constitutional principles, undermine federalism and inverted the principle of “innocent until proven guilty. ”
They warned of potential misuse for political purposes and the risk of transforming India into a police state.