After Trinamool, AAP Says It Won't Join Key Panel For Bill To Sack Ministers

After the TMC and the Samajwadi Party, AAP on Sunday announced that it will not join the joint parliamentary committee (JPC) to look into three bills seeking the removal of the prime minister and chief ministers, alleging that the purpose of the proposed legislation is to "bring down" opposition governments.

Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader in Rajya Sabha Derek O'Brien said on Sunday that the JPC is "valueless".

"More parties calling out the Modi coalition's stunt to form a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC). Valueless JPC," Derek O'Brien said on X.

AAP's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said his party has decided not to nominate any members to the JPC.

"How can the leader of the corrupt bring a bill against corruption? Trapping leaders in fake cases and putting them in jail, bringing down governments - this is the objective of this bill," Mr Singh said in a post in Hindi on X.

"That is why @ArvindKejriwal ji and @AamAadmiParty have decided not to join the JPC," he said.

The TMC had announced on Saturday that it would not nominate any member to the JPC to look into the Constitution 130th Amendment Bill, and had called the panel a "farce".

The Samajwadi Party (SP) is also unlikely to nominate any member to the JPC, according to a party source.

In a blog post published on Saturday, TMC's Derek O'Brien said his party, as well as the SP, has decided not to nominate any members to the JPC. He claimed that the committees are skewed towards the ruling party because of its numbers in both Houses of Parliament.

Amid vociferous protests by the Opposition, the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill-2025, the Constitution (One Hundred And Thirtieth Amendment) Bill-2025, and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill-2025 were introduced in the Lok Sabha on August 20.

Tempers flared in the House, copies of the bills were torn and flung, and members of the ruling and opposition alliances came face to face when Home Minister Amit Shah moved to introduce the bills.

The bills 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.

Both Houses have passed a resolution to refer the bills to the JPC comprising 21 members from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha.

The committee has been mandated to submit its report in the Winter session, which is likely to be convened in the third week of November. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)