New Delhi [India], August 25 : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Shahnawaz Hussain echoed Union Home Minister Amit Shah's criticism of Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, alleging Gandhi has "double standards" on corruption and political alliances."
In an ANI interview, Amit Shah had criticized Rahul Gandhi for opposing a bill that seeks to disqualify and remove jailed ministers after 30 days in custody, highlighting Gandhi's earlier act in 2013 when he tore an ordinance that sought to protect Lalu Prasad Yadav from immediate disqualification. Shah questioned Gandhi's shift in position after losing three consecutive elections.
Reacting to this, Hussain said, "Look, Amit Shah ji has very clearly asked Rahul Gandhi to explain: on the one hand, he had torn up the ordinance to stop Lalu Yadav, and today the same Rahul Gandhi is embracing Lalu Yadav, travelling with him, and when action is taken against corruption, he is opposing that too. This shows Rahul Gandhi's double standards."
Hussain urged Gandhi to clarify if he has abandoned his earlier stance on corruption cases, and also defended the legislation's principles.
He said, "He should tell the country whether he has abandoned his earlier stance. It is also very clear in the bill that if any corrupt person goes to jail and wants to run the government from there, that is not possible. It simply cannot happen. The original spirit of the Constitution was that honest people should enter Parliament and govern the country in service of the people.
He further highlighted the declining moral standards in politics, saying, "Earlier, there used to be a high moral ground -- even if an allegation was made, leaders would resign. But nowadays there are leaders who want to rule from jail."
Earlier, Union Minister Amit Shah in an interview with ANI Amit Shah said, "Why did Rahul Ji tear the ordinance that Manmohan Singh brought to protect Lalu Ji? If there was morality that day, then what happened now? Just because you have lost three consecutive elections? Morality's standards are not connected with victory or loss in elections. They should be steady like the Sun and the Moon."
The ordinance gave convicted lawmakers a three-month reprieve to retain their seats following Lalu Prasad Yadav's conviction in the Fodder scam. It effectively negated a Supreme Court order on the disqualification of convicted MPs and MLAs and was later withdrawn.
Speaking about the Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, 2025, which seeks the removal of any PM, CM, or Minister detained for 30 consecutive days, Amit Shah questioned whether it is "fair" that anyone in these constitutional posts should run the government from jail.