
- Prime Minister Modi refused exemption from bill removing ministers detained 30 days on serious charges
- Bill mandates removal of PM, Union ministers, and state chief ministers after 30 days in custody
- "PM Modi refused to give an exception to the prime minister," said Union Minister Kiren Rijiju.
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi refused to accept an exemption for himself in a proposed bill that would require the removal of a prime minister, chief ministers and ministers who remain in custody for 30 consecutive days on serious criminal charges.
Mr Rijiju said that during cabinet discussions, there was a suggestion that the Prime Minister should be excluded from the provision, but PM Modi declined.
"PM Modi told the cabinet that the recommendation is to keep the prime minister out of this bill, but he disagreed. PM Modi refused to give an exception to the prime minister. The PM is also a citizen, and he should not have special protection. Most of the Chief Ministers are from our party. If our people make mistakes, they will have to quit their posts. Ethics should also mean something. The Opposition would have welcomed this bill had they kept ethics at the centre," Mr Rijiju said, as quoted by news agency ANI.
The remarks come after the Centre introduced three bills earlier this week -- 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.
Together, the bills propose that if the prime minister, any Union minister, or a state chief minister is arrested and detained in custody for at least 30 days in relation to an offence carrying a minimum five-year jail term, the person will automatically lose office on the 31st day.
The Rajya Sabha on Thursday approved a motion to refer the three bills to a Joint Committee of Parliament. The motion was moved by Home Minister Amit Shah amid uproar in the Upper House. The decision mirrored developments a day earlier in the Lok Sabha, where Mr Shah introduced the bills amid high drama and strong opposition protests.
The Lok Sabha resolution established a 31-member Joint Committee to scrutinise the legislation, which includes 21 members from the lower House and 10 from the Rajya Sabha. The committee has been instructed to submit its report during the Winter Session, expected in the third week of November. The Rajya Sabha also approved the nomination of its 10 representatives on Thursday.
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