TMC differs with opposition over joining JPC on bills to remove PM, CMs, Ministers held on serious charges

Mamata Banerjee

Opposition parties are up in arms over The Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill-- that has provisions for the Prime Minister, Chief Ministers, and ministers detained in custody for 30 consecutive days, for offences punishable with imprisonment for five years or more, to be removed from office by the 31st day.

However, INDIA bloc is forced to wait to nominate MPs to the parliamentary panel to scrutinise the legislation in view of Trinamool Congress's reluctance to join it, according to a report by TOI.

The same publication, citing sources said TMC was pushing for boycott of the JPC, but the rest of the opposition wanted to be on the panel to ensure that Modi government did not get a free run on "the weapon to target the opposition-ruled states".

On Wednesday, the Opposition and ruling party exchanged barbs in the Lok Sabha over the government’s claim of bringing in political morality through three new bills allowing the removal of elected representatives arrested on serious criminal charges and held in custody without bail for more than 30 days.

As the bills were introduced, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Congress leader KC Venugopal engaged in a sharp spat over Shah’s 2010 arrest while he was Home Minister of Gujarat.

The issue reportedly flared up at an INDIA bloc meeting Wednesday, when the three bills tabled by home minister Amit Shah triggered a fracas in Lok Sabha. A senior TMC neta advocated that the opposition should stay away from the JPC.

The Trinamool Congress, reportedly arrived at the decision to not send its nominations to the 31-member multi-party committee as the Bills are being used as a “political weapon”, as they believed that the Bills will not get enough numbers in Parliament to be passed and it would be a waste of time.