Kejriwal attacks Amit Shah on Constitution Amendment bill, asks if politicians should be jailed for including "criminals" in parties

New Delhi [India], August 25 (ANI): Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday criticised Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the Constitution Amendment Bill. 

Kejriwal asked how many years of prison a person should face who includes "criminals" in political parties and later makes them PM and CM. 

"Should a person who includes criminals of serious crimes in his party, gets all their cases dismissed, and makes them ministers, deputy chief ministers, or chief ministers, also be required to resign from his position? How many years of imprisonment should such a person face?" Arvind Kejriwal wrote on 'X'.

The former Delhi CM Further hit out at the Union Home Minister, questioning whether a minister who has been falsely framed and sent to prison, is later acquitted, then how many years of jail should that person face who falsely implicated the minister.

"If someone is falsely implicated in a case, sent to jail, and later acquitted, how many years of imprisonment should the minister who falsely implicated him face?" Kejriwal asked.

Kejriwal also justified staying on in power as Delhi Cm despite being in Jail. 

"Under a political conspiracy, when the central government framed me in a false case and sent me to jail, I ran the government for 160 days from jail. In the last seven months, the BJP government in Delhi has made such a mess of Delhi that today the people of Delhi are remembering that jail government. At least during the jail government, there were no power cuts, water was supplied, free medicines were available in hospitals and mohalla clinics, free tests were conducted, Delhi wouldn't be in such a bad state from one rain, private schools weren't allowed to act arbitrarily and with thuggery," he said

Earlier, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has lashed out at the 'Black Bill' protests against the Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill by Opposition parties and stated that both he and the BJP "completely reject" the idea that the country "cannot be governed without the person" who has been jailed. He asked whether a Prime Minister, Chief Minister, or any leader could run the country from jail. 

In an interview with ANI, Amit Shah said, "I want to ask the entire nation and the Opposition... Can a Chief Minister, Prime Minister, or any leader run the country from jail? Does that suit the dignity of our democracy?"

"Even today, they are trying that if they ever have to go to jail, they will easily form the government from jail. The jail will be made CM House, PM House and the DGP, Chief Secretary, Cabinet Secretary or Home Secretary will take orders from the jail. My party and I completely reject the idea that this country cannot be governed without the person who is sitting there. This will not affect anyone's majority in the Parliament or the Assembly. One member will go, other members of the party will run the government, and when they get bail, they can come and take the oath again. What is the objection in this?" he said.

Referring to the time when the UPA government was in power at the Centre, Shah said under the Manmohan Singh government, the Congress had introduced an ordinance to protect convicted MPs, which Rahul Gandhi publicly rejected by tearing it up. 

“In the Satyendra Jain (AAP leader) case, he was jailed in four cases, and in all those, the CBI filed a chargesheet. He is facing trial. You became a victim of AAP’s propaganda. Now, let me talk about Congress. They are opposing this. However, during the UPA government, when Manmohan Singh was Prime Minister and Lalu Prasad Yadav was a minister who had been convicted, they introduced an ordinance stating that even a two-year sentence would not result in the cancellation of a member's membership until the appeal process was complete,” Shah said.

Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal was arrested on corruption charges while he was Chief Minister of Delhi, and he refused to resign after being jailed.

Shah accused Congress of double standards, saying the party now supports RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav in Bihar despite previously opposing similar cases.  He referred to the 2013 ordinance by the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government which sought to provide relief to MPs and MLAs who had been disqualified or convicted of a crime.

“Rahul Gandhi publicly called that ordinance nonsense and even tore it up in a press conference. The decision made by their own Prime Minister was mocked, and the PM became a sorry figure in front of the world. But now, the same Rahul Gandhi, to form a government in Bihar, is hugging Lalu Yadav who has been convicted. Isn’t this double standards?” Shah said.

Meanwhile, a Joint Committee comprising members of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, cutting across party lines, to be appointed by the Lok Sabha Speaker and the Rajya Sabha chairperson, will jointly examine the Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill.  (ANI)