Constitution Amendment Bill to remove jailed leaders sparked chaos in Lok Sabha. Opposition MPs tore bill copies, calling it undemocratic while BJP defended it as anti-corruption. Critics fear misuse to destabilise governments and target opponents.
The Lok Sabha on Wednesday saw intense drama after Union Home Minister Amit Shah introduced three key legislations: the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirtieth Amendment) Bill, 2025, the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and amendments to the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019. The Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, 2025, proposes that if a Prime Minister, Chief Minister, or any Union or State Minister is detained for 30 consecutive days on charges carrying a minimum punishment of five years, they must resign. If not, their office will be deemed vacant on the 31st day. The bill, however, permits re-appointment after release. The bill has been referred to a joint parliamentary committee as well.
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Opposition’s strong protest against ‘Criminal Netas’ Bill
The Opposition strongly resisted the move, with MPs tearing and throwing copies of the bills toward Amit Shah in the House. They called the proposal undemocratic and ‘black law’, warning that it could destabilise governments and be used politically.
Congress MP Imran Masood called it completely undemocratic, arguing that it could allow ruling parties to remove chief ministers at will. He told ANI, “The bill is completely undemocratic… Tomorrow, it can be used against you (BJP) as well. Do not do such things that will harm you… Where do you want to take this country?… You can make anyone the Chief Minister and remove anyone you want. What drama are they creating?… These bills are being brought to attempt to control the chief ministers. What else is it apart from this?…”
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CPI MP P Sandosh Kumar backed the protest, saying, “The BJP has no right to demand the resignation. There are multiple allegations against the BJP leaders, also… The action taken by the Opposition was timely and apt. I would have also joined had I been present there…”
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Tamil Nadu CM M.K. Stalin branded the bill a “black law to suppress Opposition voices.” He told ANI, “Yesterday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah brought in a black law to suppress the Opposition. Just as we opposed such laws earlier, we will continue to oppose this. They are not doing this merely to divert the people, but to divert the entire nation.”
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav alleged the move was aimed at Nitish Kumar and Chandrababu Naidu, calling it a ‘torture tactic’ and a way to blackmail regional leaders. He also cited the cases of Hemant Soren and Arvind Kejriwal, who were jailed but later acquitted. He told reporters, “They are bringing this for Nitish Kumar and Chandrababu Naidu. They have only one job – to blackmail. If PMLA is slapped in ED cases, there can be no quick bail. These are torture tactics. Instead of building the country, they are distorting it.”
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Government defends the Bills
The ruling BJP and allies defended the proposal as a necessary step to protect democracy from leaders ‘running governments from jail’. Amit Shah hit out at the INDIA bloc, saying they united ‘to shield corruption’. He reminded the House that he had resigned when facing a false case, unlike Congress leaders.
BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra called the Opposition’s act of tearing the Bill’s copy ‘a black chapter in Parliament’, stressing that the bill is to stop ‘governments from being run from jail’.
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BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal accused the Opposition of trying to block discussion to hide their links to online gambling funding, and named Arvind Kejriwal as “the king of scamsters.”
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Union Minister Chirag Paswan condemned the tearing of bills, calling it ‘Congress culture’. Paswan told ANI, “It is condemnable. The Opposition has an important role in a democracy. It is essential for that role to be optimistic… They should present their concerns in the Parliament. But they should not create a ruckus… They are tearing away the bill and throwing it away. But this has been the culture of the Congress. They even tore the bill passed by their PM…”
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BJP MP Nishikant Dubey recalled how Congress sidelined rivals like Madhavrao Scindia and Rajesh Pilot, alleging hypocrisy. He said, “You (Congress) did not even spare your own party. Madhavrao Scindia and Rajesh Pilot, who were potential opponents of the Gandhi family, were sent to jail… Who sent Kanimozhi and Raja to jail?… You remove potential people from your party. You send people to jail… The BJP has not done anything like this with any alliance partner who left us, be it the Akali Dal or any other party. Did we jail Uddhav Thackeray… Yesterday, I prevented the fighting. I am proud of it… The Home Minister said in the Parliament that we are not supposed to cause any misconduct in the Parliament. It is not a place to beat anyone…”
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Syed Shahnawaz Hussain said the bill is ‘against corruption, not against any party’. He told ANI, “The Opposition MPs and the TMC MPs have crossed all the limits in the Parliament. The way they tore the bill and threw it at Amit Shah is unfortunate..This bill is against corruption, not against any party…A corrupt person would not be suitable for any position..The ruckus they created, without any discussion, is unfortunate…”
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AAP voices caution
Manish Sisodia of AAP welcomed the intent but warned of misuse, noting how agencies like ED and CBI had been weaponised in the past. He said, “The central government is bringing an amendment to the constitution in which they are saying that if any minister, chief minister, or prime minister of any state or even the central government is arrested on charges of corruption, then he should resign within a month or he will be removed. This is a good thing, but there are many possibilities that, just like ED and CBI have been misused, this bill will also be misused in the same way. Corrupt leaders should fear being removed.”
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Federalism concerns
Outside BJP vs Opposition politics, RSP MP NK Premachandran highlighted the bill’s impact on federal principles. He said it infringes on the collective responsibility of state governments and could become a ‘new Article 356’ to remove non-BJP governments. He said, “Yesterday, we very clearly opposed the introduction of Bill, stating that this is a draconian legislation. This infringes on the federal principles of the Constitution, specifically the collective responsibility of the Council of Ministers to the Parliament. This is with an ulterior motive to destabilise the Governments of various states in which BJP is not in power. So, instead of Article 356, this can be used as a weapon to remove the State Govts which are not governed by the BJP and its friends…This is anti-democratic. It is against the principles of federalism…”
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The Constitution Bill uproar and its significance
Supporters say the law will stop leaders accused of serious crimes from holding office, strengthening democracy. Opponents fear it gives excessive power to the ruling party, risking misuse against rivals. The protests highlights a wider clash: anti-corruption reforms versus political misuse of institutions.
The bills now face committee scrutiny, but the tearing of copies in Parliament has already triggered one of the sharpest confrontations of 2025.
(With ANI inputs)