LS Witnesses High-Voltage Drama as Govt Tables Bills for Ousting Tainted PM, CM, Ministers

PTI, NEW DELHI, Aug 20, 2025 :  Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday introduced in Lok Sabha three Bills for the removal of Prime Minister, Chief Ministers, and ministers under arrest for 30 consecutive days on serious charges, drawing fierce protests from Opposition MPs who tore up copies of the draft law and marched close to his seat shouting slogans.

The three Bills are the 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.

The Constitutional Amendment Bill will require the support of at least two-thirds of the members in both Houses. The ruling alliance currently lacks such a majority on its own. The Bills have proposed that if 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.

In a charged atmosphere, several Opposition MPs spoke against the introduction of the Bills, claiming they violated constitutional principles, targeted federalism, turned the jurisprudence of “innocent until proven guilty” on its head, were open to misuse for political reasons, and threatened to turn the country into a police state.

Shah, however, batted for an enhanced standing for moral values in public life, saying, “We cannot be so shameless that we continue to occupy constitutional positions while facing serious charges.”

The battle lines were drawn in the Lower House with Opposition members already on their feet when the House reconvened at 2 pm, raising slogans against the three Bills the government was keen to introduce.

Trouble broke out when Trinamool Congress members tore copies of the Bill and threw the bits of paper towards the Home Minister, who was moving a motion to refer the Bills to a joint committee of Parliament.

In the melee, Trinamool leader Kalyan Banerjee was seen trying to tug at the microphone in front of Shah and shout slogans into it. Angry BJP members charged towards the Opposition MPs who were in the Well, with Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu rushing to the aisle and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju moving to stand next to the Home Minister and gesturing to the Opposition members to step back. BJP member Nishikant Dubey was also seen urging some BJP members who had entered the Well to get back in the aisle as Opposition members continued to raise slogans and tear copies of the Bills.

Earlier, Banerjee entered the Well of the House raising slogans against the government's move. AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi, Congress member Manish Tewari, RSP leader N. K. Premachandran, Congress member K. C. Venugopal, and SP member Dharmendra Yadav spoke against the introduction of the three Bills.

Banerjee and some Trinamool members were seen marching in the U-shaped Well of the House, raising slogans against the government and tearing copies of the Bills, throwing bits of paper all around as other Opposition members spoke against the introduction. Trinamool member Mahua Moitra was also in the Well of the House, raising slogans.

Congress members Jothimani and Praniti Shinde were seen distributing copies of the Bills among Opposition members, who tore them and flung the fragments of paper.