The central government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is set to present three bills in Parliament that will enable the removal of Prime Ministers, Union Ministers, and Chief Ministers or Ministers from their positions if they are arrested or detained on serious criminal charges. This move has ignited a wave of criticism from the opposition, who view it as a blatant attempt to undermine their power.
The Congress party has accused the BJP of using central agencies to unfairly target opposition leaders and remove them from office. Senior Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi labeled the proposed law as uncontrolled and unjust, highlighting concerns over the lack of guidelines for arrests and the potential for abuse.
Mahua Moitra of the Trinamool Congress echoed these sentiments, accusing the BJP of altering the constitution with the backing of only 240 MPs. She argued that the bill undermines both federalism and the judiciary, allowing the government to use the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to arrest opposition Chief Ministers on false charges and remove them without a court conviction.
Additionally, Gaurav Gogoi, the Congress’s Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha, suggested that the bill is a deliberate distraction from Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ in Bihar. The proposed legislation has raised significant concerns about the potential for political vendettas and the erosion of democratic principles.