'Clerks, peons lose job after arrest; why not ministers?' Modi
What's the story
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has defended the new bills that seek to remove prime ministers, chief ministers, and ministers from their posts if they are arrested and denied bail for 30 days. He argued that no one should be above the law, citing how ordinary government employees lose their jobs after a brief detention. "If a government employee is imprisoned for 50 hours, then he loses his job automatically, be he a driver, a clerk, or a peon," he said.
Power dynamics
PM takes dig at Delhi CM Kejriwal
"But should a chief minister, a minister, or even a prime minister stay in the government even while being in jail....Why should governments be allowed to run from jail?" he asked, referring to former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who was arrested in a liquor scam case but continued to function as CM from jail. "Some time ago, we saw how files were being signed from jail and how government orders were given from jail," the PM continued his attack.
Remarks
Modi was addressing a massive rally at Gayaji
He stressed that if leaders have such an attitude, fighting corruption becomes difficult. PM Modi was addressing a massive rally at Gayaji in poll-bound Bihar. The Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill were introduced in the Lok Sabha by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The bills seek to automatically remove elected officials if they are arrested for offenses punishable by five years or more.
Legislative intent
Opposition slams bills as 'unconstitutional and undemocratic'
The Opposition has criticized these bills as "unconstitutional and undemocratic," with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi likening them to medieval practices of arbitrary removal by rulers. On Thursday, the opposition ripped up copies of the draft law and protested in the Well of the Lok Sabha. It argued that the bills were against the Constitution, attacked federalism, flipped the legal tenet of "innocent until proven guilty" on its head, and may make the country a police state.
Criticism voiced
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav calls it a conspiracy
Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav also slammed the bills, calling them part of a "larger conspiracy" against Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. He alleged that the legislation was aimed at pressuring Kumar to accommodate Bharatiya Janata Party leaders in his party's tickets. The bills have been sent to a Joint Parliamentary Committee for further discussion.