The Lok Sabha witnessed a heated exchange on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, during the monsoon session of Parliament, as Union Minister Amit Shah responded to Congress's questions regarding the "morality" of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in introducing bills that could lead to the removal of the Prime Minister or Chief Ministers.
The core of the debate revolved around three bills tabled by Shah, most notably the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirtieth Amendment) Bill, 2025. This bill proposes the removal of the Prime Minister or Chief Ministers if they face corruption charges or are detained for 30 consecutive days due to serious offenses. The other two bills introduced were the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2025, the latter seeking to amend the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, to allow for the removal of a Chief Minister or minister if arrested or detained on serious criminal charges.
Congress MP KC Venugopal directly questioned Shah's integrity, asking if he upheld morality when he was arrested as the Home Minister of Gujarat. Shah responded sharply, stating that the charges against him were false and that he had resigned from his post out of moral responsibility before his arrest. He also added that he did not take up any post until acquitted by the courts. Shah then requested the Speaker to refer the bills to a Joint Committee of both Houses, consisting of 21 members from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha.
The bills sparked significant uproar in the Lok Sabha, with opposition members tearing up copies and staging protests. Opposition leaders have strongly criticised the bills, calling them unconstitutional and an attempt to destabilize state governments led by the opposition. Some claim that the bills undermine the federal structure of the country and could be used to arbitrarily arrest and oust opposition leaders. Concerns were also raised about the potential misuse of central agencies like the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to target opposition Chief Ministers on false charges.
In response to the opposition's criticism that the bills were brought in haste, Amit Shah assured that they would be sent to a Joint Committee. He also stated that "We cannot be so shameless that we continue to occupy constitutional positions while facing serious charges".
Several opposition leaders voiced their strong disapproval of the bills. Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi called the bills a diversionary tactic. Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra claimed the bills bypass the federal structure and the judiciary, enabling the Union government to use agencies to arrest and sack opposition CMs without them being proven guilty. Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra described the bills as "draconian," "anti-constitutional," and "undemocratic". West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee condemned the bills as a step towards ending the democratic era of India forever.
