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Now, Congress, AAP not inclined to join JPC
Congress and allies boycott a JPC examining bills to remove ministers charged with serious crimes, alleging the bills aim to destabilize opposition parties.
The Congress on Sunday expressed unwillingness to be part of the joint parliamentary committee (JPC) to look into three bills seeking removal of ministers accused of serious crime and incarcerated for 30 days, after allies Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) decided to boycott the panel.
Congress general secretary and Rajya Sabha chief whip Jairam Ramesh said the party is “disinclined” to join the JPC that is likely to be set up soon comprising 31 lawmakers — 21 from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha — to examine the Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill.
On Sunday, the AAP targeted the BJP-led Centre over the proposed Constitution amendment bill, alleging it was aimed at jailing Opposition leaders in false cases and destabilising elected governments.
AAP’s Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh said the bill had “nothing to do with fighting corruption” and was instead “intended to topple governments, break parties, indulge in horse-trading, trap opposition leaders in false cases, send them to jail and force their resignations.”
“Therefore, we will not participate in this JPC,” he added.
Taking a swipe at the BJP’s alleged ties with tainted leaders, Singh said: “Top BJP leadership and the corrupt share a love story as legendary as Laila-Majnu, Heer-Ranjha and Romeo-Juliet.” He cited examples of leaders facing graft charges who later joined the BJP, questioning the government’s credibility in bringing an anti-corruption law.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav took a jibe at Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath while referring to the Constitution amendment bill. “Our CM knew that such a bill would eventually come, so he preemptively withdrew all the cases filed against him... Those who are proposing this bill have admitted in many places that false cases were filed against them. Therefore, if such cases were filed against them, then it could happen to anyone else in the future as well...,” Yadav told reporters.
“This government is deliberately introducing such laws to harass Opposition, exert pressure on opposition, prepare for revolt within regional parties, and, most importantly, to distract us from their vote theft during elections. And we are opposing this,” the former UP CM added.
The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), too, criticised the bill, with party’s Lok Sabha MP Sudhakar Singh claiming it was aimed at destabilising state governments rather than fighting corruption. The Buxar MP accused the NDA government of misleading the country in the name of reforms.
“This bill is not against corruption. This bill has been brought with the intention of toppling governments and encouraging horse-trading. The JPC route was being used as a delaying tactic to avoid serious debate in Parliament. The Centre knows this Bill cannot stand the test of federal principles. By sending it to a JPC, they want to deflect attention and later push their agenda without proper discussion,” he alleged. “This is not a reform-oriented bill but one designed for regime change.”
This is the first time in the recent history of Parliament that several Opposition parties have boycotted a JPC to review a set of bills. In 1992, a JPC was set up to investigate the stock market scam by Harshad Mehta. Several Opposition leaders, including the members of that JPC, later resigned alleging that their suggestions of the JPC were not fully implemented.
The three bills seek to provide a legal framework for the removal of the Prime Minister, chief ministers and ministers on being arrested for 30 consecutive days on serious charges.
On Saturday, TMC Rajya Sabha floor leader Derek O’Brien had announced that his party and the Samajwadi Party will not join the proposed JPC.
Reacting to the development, senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari attacked the TMC over its refusal to join the JPC, claiming the decision of the West Bengal’s ruling party was rooted in “fear psychosis.”
“This (TMC) is a party of thieves, a family-run party. More than half of their ministers have either been to jail or are about to go. Due to fear psychosis, they know that this bill will have a significant impact on them, so naturally, they will oppose it,” the leader of Opposition in the West Bengal assembly was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. “The people of the country support this bill. The law of this country should be equal for everyone. The Prime Minister wants to bring reforms in this direction, and the entire country is with him.”
