A tense verbal clash erupted in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Congress MP KC Venugopal at the center of a fiery debate. The confrontation occurred as the government sought to introduce three contentious bills that would empower the state to remove prime ministers and chief ministers from their posts if they remain under arrest for 30 consecutive days.
As the political temperature inside Parliament soared, Venugopal launched a direct attack on Shah, bringing up his 2010 arrest in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case.
"When Amit Shah was the Home Minister of Gujarat, he was arrested. Why was morality not upheld at that time?" Venugopal challenged, causing a stir in the chamber.
A visibly upset Shah promptly retaliated. "Though framed in a fake case, I tendered resignation and did not occupy even a single constitutional office prior to my acquittal. You will educate me on morality?" he bellowed, evoking thunderous applause of NDA leaders.
Shah had stepped down as Gujarat’s Home Minister in 2010 following his arrest by the CBI. He spent three months in jail before being granted bail, and a special CBI court acquitted him of all charges in 2014, citing a lack of evidence.
Also read: Parl sends PM, CMs removal bills to JPC for review
The dramatic scenes unfolded as Shah attempted to move the Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill for consideration by a joint committee. Opposition MPs stormed the Well of the House, raising slogans, while Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee was seen tearing up what appeared to be copies of the bills and throwing them towards Shah. The papers fluttered near the Home Minister’s seat, though Banerjee later denied the action.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi accused the government of trying to establish a "police state," stating, "It gives executive agencies a free run to become judge and executioner. This will be a death knell unleashed on elected governments." He even compared the proposed legislation to Hitler’s Gestapo.
Congress leader Manish Tewari condemned the bills as "squarely destructive of the basic structure of the Constitution." He warned that the new laws would open the door to "political misuse" by agencies whose arbitrary actions have already been questioned by the Supreme Court.
In response, the government maintained that the new provisions are intended to combat corruption and prevent ministers from remaining in office while facing serious criminal charges. Under the proposed laws, any prime minister, chief minister, or minister arrested for offences punishable by five years or more in prison would automatically be removed from their position if held for 30 consecutive days. They could, however, be reappointed upon their release. The move follows recent controversies involving Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Tamil Nadu minister V Senthil Balaji, both of whom have continued to hold office while incarcerated.
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