Patna (Bihar) [India], August 24 : Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Manoj Jha on Saturday criticised the Union government over the recently introduced Constitutional Amendment Bill, alleging that it is aimed at creating an "opposition-free democracy."
"This is a project to create an opposition-free democracy, and that project will fail. I am saying this repeatedly," Jha said while speaking to ANI.
The Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, 2025, seeks to remove a Central or State Minister who is facing allegations of corruption or serious offences and has been detained for at least 30 days. Union Home Minister Amit Shah moved the Bill in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. The Bill provides for the removal of the Prime Minister, Chief Minister or any other Minister in the central or a state government, if he is arrested and detained in custody on account of serious criminal offences.
Two more bills with similar provisions in Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir were also introduced in the Lok Sabha. All three bills have been referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee for examination. Opposition parties have opposed the move.
Earlier on Saturday, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju questioned the conduct of the Opposition during the discussion on the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirtieth Amendment) Bill, 2025, in the Parliament, stating that an "understanding" had been reached beforehand to maintain order in the House.
In an interview with ANI, Rijiju explained that such an amendment demands careful settlement and orderly conduct in the House.
Asked about whether the Centre had discussions with the Opposition on the 130th Constitutional Amendment Bill beforehand, the Union Minister said, "Everyone had agreed after prior discussion (to maintain the order of the House)... Constitutional amendment passes with two-thirds majority, and the House has to be in order. The Speaker told the members that when the Home Minister presents the bill, no members will come into the well... This was agreed to. As soon as the House began, TMC MPs jumped into the well. Started throwing papers. Congress's Venugopal also started tearing papers. What happened to the understanding?"
The Parliamentary Affairs Minister further alleged that the Congress MPs and Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs had disrupted the proceedings during the introduction of the bill on the 'directive' of the party's top leadership. He said, "I don't want to blame the Congress MPs. They have to work as their leaders ask them to. TMC's Mamata Banerjee orders her MPs from Kolkata, then they are compelled (to create ruckus) here... They say something, but they get different orders from above, and the ruckus begins."
Stating that the Constitution Amendment Bill introduced in Lok Sabha is "revolutionary" and the Opposition should have welcomed it, Rijiju said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi refused to be exempt from its provisions, which entail removal of PM, CM and Union and state ministers if they are jailed for serious offences.