- Home Minister Amit Shah defended a proposed law to remove jailed ministers.
- AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal questioned if the law would apply to those acquitted.
- Kejriwal also targeted BJP for accepting rival turncoats with corruption charges.
- The proposed law would remove ministers jailed for over 30 days for serious offenses.
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 25th Aug: Hours after Union Home Minister Amit Shah defended a proposed law to remove ministers jailed for serious offenses, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal hit back, questioning its fairness. On social media, Mr. Kejriwal challenged the BJP, asking if a Prime Minister or minister who accepts leaders accused of serious crimes and later makes them ministers should also resign.
“If someone is jailed in a false case and is later acquitted, how many years in jail should a minister face for leveling false allegations?” he asked. The political clash centers on a new Constitution Amendment Bill, which has been referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee. The proposed law states that a minister, Chief Minister, or Prime Minister accused of an offense punishable by a jail term of five years or more, who is held in custody for over 30 days, would be removed from office.
In an interview with a news agency, Mr. Shah had questioned the dignity of a democracy where a leader attempts to run the government from jail. “Can a Chief Minister, Prime Minister, or any leader run the country from jail? Does that suit the dignity of our democracy?” he asked, defending the need for the legislation. He clarified that the draft law does not apply to those facing minor offenses.
This legislative push reportedly came after Mr. Kejriwal refused to resign following his arrest last year in a corruption case related to Delhi’s now-scrapped liquor policy. The AAP had made it clear that he would retain his post, with his cabinet colleagues running the government on his behalf while he was in jail. He stepped down only after being granted bail and after the AAP lost the Delhi election earlier this year.
The proposed law has faced strong opposition, with critics arguing it could be misused by central agencies and would move India closer to becoming a “police state.”
