The BJP-led Union government has put the draft law seeking removal of ‘tainted’ ministers on the backburner, focusing instead on gathering the required majority for clearing the Constitution (131st Amendment Bill) for implementing the Women’s Reservation law and the Delimitation Bill. Sources indicate that the BJP has made the rollout of these two laws its priority and does not want other contentious Bills to be pushed in the Monsoon Session beginning Monday.
According to sources, Opposition parties such as the DMK and the NCP(SP) have conveyed to the government that they cannot support the contentious Bill. The Joint Committee of Parliament examining the 130th Constitution Amendment Bill deferred adopting the report on Friday, with the chairperson agreeing to wider consultations on the contentious clauses.
The Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, 2025 provides for the removal of a minister if he/she is accused of an offence punishable with five or more years of imprisonment and has been arrested and detained for 30 consecutive days. The removal can be directed by the President or Governor upon the advice of the Prime Minister or the Chief Minister, or automatically on the 31st day of detention.
During the committee meeting, many members raised their apprehension over replacing the word ‘removal’ with ‘suspension’, suggesting it may dilute the purpose of the Bill. Allies like the TDP have backed the Bill, but also want provisions preventing misuse of the law to be incorporated. The final report is expected to incorporate suggestions from the panel members for avoiding any misuse of the law.
The committee is also expected to recommend curbs or a threshold regarding the nature of the crime for the provisions of the proposed law to apply. However, the ruling party members in the panel have rejected the Opposition’s argument that the provisions in the proposed law are undemocratic, anti-federal, and contradict the bedrock principle of natural justice by punishing public representatives purely based on custody rather than conviction.
