Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday targeted the Congress for opposing proposals on the removal of prime minister, chief ministers, and ministers on arrest for 30 consecutive days, and sought to know why should people holding key posts be allowed to function from the prison.
“If a government employee is imprisoned for 50 hours, then he loses his job automatically, be it a driver, a clerk or a peon. But should a chief minister, a minister, or even a Prime Minister stay in the government even while being in jail,” he said in his first comments on the three contentious legislations that triggered a political storm in Parliament earlier this week.
“Why should governments be allowed to run from jail? Should tainted ministers continue with their posts? The people expect their leaders to uphold moral integrity,” he added.
The Prime Minister was addressing a massive rally at Gayaji in poll-bound Bihar when he made the remarks.
The three Bills – Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, 2025; the Constitution (One Hundred And Thirtieth Amendment) Bill, 2025; and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2025 – were introduced in Parliament this week and subsequently referred to a Joint Committee of Parliament.
The Bills have proposed that if the prime minister, Union ministers or chief ministers are arrested and detained in custody for 30 consecutive days for offences that attract a jail term of at least five years, they will lose their jobs on the 31st day.