We are going back to medieval times… pic.twitter.com/jiZOSysbue
— Congress (@INCIndia) August 20, 2025
New Delhi: A political storm erupted in Parliament after the Centre introduced a controversial bill that mandates the removal of the Prime Minister, Chief Ministers, or ministers if arrested for 30 days on criminal charges.
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi strongly attacked the move, calling it a step backwards in democracy. “We are going back to medieval times when kings could remove anyone at will. Today, the ruling party can misuse agencies, file a case, and within 30 days wipe out a democratically elected leader,” Rahul said while speaking at a felicitation event for INDIA bloc’s Vice-Presidential candidate, former Supreme Court judge B. Sudershan Reddy.
Chaos erupted in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday after Union Home Minister Amit Shah tabled the bill. Opposition MPs tore copies of the legislation, raised slogans, and staged protests in front of the minister.
Congress MP Manish Tiwari dubbed the proposal “destructive to the basic structure of the Constitution.”
The bill, which will now be referred to a joint parliamentary panel, seeks to cover elected representatives at all levels—including the Prime Minister, Union Ministers, Chief Ministers, and ministers of Union Territories.
Along with this, the government is also planning to move the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, 2025, the Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, 2025, and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2025 to committees for review.
Adding her voice to the opposition chorus, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra called the proposed law “draconian.” She said, “Tomorrow you can slap any case on a CM, keep him in jail for 30 days, and he ceases to be Chief Minister. This is unconstitutional, undemocratic and a dangerous precedent.”
While opposition parties accuse the government of rushing the legislation for political vendetta, Amit Shah has dismissed such claims.
