Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday defended the recently introduced bills on the removal of PM, CM and ministers, and reasoned that the legislation was required to "uphold political morality".
The home minister said if Kejriwal had resigned while he was in jail, the situation of bringing such an amendment would not have arisen.
"In the past 75 years, many Chief Ministers and Ministers have gone to jail, and all of them resigned. But for the first time in Delhi, a chief minister was running a government while in jail. Hence, the question arises—should the Constitution be amended or not?" Shah said while speaking at the Manorama News Conclave in Kochi.
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He further said that the BJP never felt the need to bring such a change earlier as no party leader had defied convention in this way.
{{/usCountry}}He further said that the BJP never felt the need to bring such a change earlier as no party leader had defied convention in this way.
{{/usCountry}}"If Kejriwal had resigned, the situation of bringing such an amendment would not have come today," he added.
Shah went on to question, "Do they (opposition) want a chief minister to run a government from jail? Do they want a prime minister to govern from jail?"
Shah's remarks matched Prime Minister Narendra Modi's argument, who while speaking in Bihar, asked why people holding key positions should be allowed to function from prison.
"If a government employee is imprisoned for 50 hours, then he loses his job automatically, be it a driver, a clerk or a peon. But should a chief minister, a minister, or even a Prime Minister stay in the government even while being in jail," PM Modi said while speaking in Gayaji.
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Meanwhile, Amit Shah argued that when the constitution was being written, no one would have imagined that "an elected leader would refuse to resign even while imprisoned."
Shah also hit out at the Congress for allegedly protecting convicted MPs and MLAs.
He recalled how Congress leader Rahul Gandhi once tore an ordinance introduced by the UPA government to protect convicted MPs and MLAs.
"But today, the same Rahul Gandhi embraces Lalu Yadav, who is out of jail only on health grounds," Shah said.
"The very ordinance he had torn apart—today, he is opposing similar provisions in Parliament with indecent behaviour. Is it simply because he keeps losing elections?" Shah asked.
Amit Shah on Wednesday introduced three Bills in Lok Sabha for the removal of prime minister, chief ministers and ministers arrested on serious criminal charges for 30 days.
The opposition has alleged that the bill would be used to target the chief ministers in opposition-ruled states at the behest of central agencies.