rahul-gandhi-sports-black-t-shirt-to-oppose-new-bills

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday condemned the tabling of three controversial bills in Parliament that would allow the removal of the Prime Minister or chief ministers if they remain in custody for 30 consecutive days. He said the move appeared to be taking the country back to medieval times.

 

Union Home Minister Amit Shah introduced the Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha.

 

The provisions would mandate the removal of the Prime Minister, chief ministers of states, or union territories if they are arrested and held for a month on charges carrying a sentence of five years or more.

 

“We are going back to medieval times when the king could just remove anybody at his will, or if he didn’t like someone’s face, he could get the ED to get them arrested, and a democratically elected person can be thrown out within 30 days,” the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha said during the debate.

 

Gandhi, who wore a black T-shirt as a mark of protest, added, “There is a war going on between those who are attacking the Constitution and those who are defending it.”

 

The opposition described the legislation as “draconian” and accused the government of attempting to destabilise opposition-ruled states through arbitrary arrests. They tore copies of the bills inside the House amid uproar.

 

At present, there is no constitutional provision for the removal of a sitting minister solely based on being accused of a serious offence. The proposed laws also state that those removed from office could be reappointed upon their release from custody.

 

Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal strongly opposed the bills, calling them unconstitutional. “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?” Venugopal asked.

 

The government’s move comes in the wake of controversies where leaders such as former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Tamil Nadu minister V Senthil Balaji continued to hold office while in jail.