Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party to opt out of JPC on PM, CMs removal bill

At a meeting of INDIA grouping last Wednesda, TMC had argued that the entire Opposition should boycott the Joint Committee proceedings.

In an apparent blow to opposition's united effort to act against the bills seeking removal of top political executives if in custody for 30 days, Trinamool Congress and Samajwadi Party on Saturday decided that it will not join the Joint Committee of Parliament examining the bills with Congress indicating its inclination to be part of the panel.

An official statement by the TMC said, “We opposed The Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, 2025 at the stage of introduction and in our view the JPC is a farce. Therefore, we are not nominating anyone from AITC.” SP sources said they were also not nominating any MP to the panel.

TMC Rajya Sabha floor leader Derek O'Brien said in a blog post that both the parties took the decision because the Modi government is pushing to form the JPC to examine an “unconstitutional bill” and it is a “stunt performed to create a distraction” from Special Intensive Revision (vote chori). "Someone needed to call a stunt a stunt. I am glad we did,” O'Brien wrote.

Amid Opposition protest, Home Minister Amit Shah had last Wednesday introduced The Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, 2025, The Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, 2025 and The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Act, 2025 in Lok Sabha seeking the removal of Prime Minister, Chief Ministers and central and state ministers if they are arrested and remain in custody for 30 days in a row on offences that attract a jail term of at least five years.

The Bill was later referred to a Joint Committee of Parliament.

At a meeting of INDIA grouping last Wednesday, the day Bills were referred to the committee, Trinamool Congress had argued that the entire Opposition should boycott the Joint Committee proceedings.