"Draconian law, diversionary tactic": KC Venugopal on Constitution Amendment Bill

New Delhi [India], August 20 (ANI): Congress MP KC Venugopal on Wednesday slammed the Centre over the Constitution Amendment Bill to remove the PM, CMs, and ministers held on serious criminal charges, terming it a "draconian law" and a diversionary tactic.
"This is only a diversionary tactic. This is a draconian law. This is not going to be passed by the Parliament. They want to divert attention from electoral fraud and the Bihar Yatra...They are trying to constitutionalise vendetta politics," Venugopal told the media.
Communist Party of India (CPI) MP P Sandosh Kumar asserted that the opposition will fight it out.
Speaking to ANI, Kumar emphasised that the NDA has become "National Destruction Alliance."
"This is the destruction of certain portions of the Constitution. RSS never believed in the federal structure of this country...Who is framing these charges? All agencies are in the hands of the BJP. So, they can file charges against any minister, and he can be jailed for up to 30 days, after which he will be finished. So, can we allow this? NDA has become National Destruction Alliance. They should come out of it, and we will fight it out," Sandosh Kumar said.
Congress MP Pramod Tiwari said that they will take any action after the Bill is introduced in the House.
"Congress is against corruption, but since the BJP has come into power, the definition of corruption has changed. Whether it is the Election Commission, ED, or CBI, there is a lot of misuse, and that is why their conviction rate is more than 90%... Let the bill come; we will understand it, and only after understanding it will we take action and react to it...," Tiwari said.
Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee also slammed the BJP Government, accusing it of only amassing "POWER, WEALTH AND CONTROL WITHOUT ANY ACCOUNTABILITY."
"The Union Government, despite having the support of the Opposition parties and the entire nation, still lacks the courage to reclaim PoJK. It beats its chest with hollow rhetoric, but when it comes to defending India's sovereignty, protecting our borders and acting firmly against our enemies, it shows no real resolve," Banerjee posted on X.
"Instead of fulfilling its constitutional responsibility, this government is solely interested in amassing POWER, WEALTH AND CONTROL WITHOUT ANY ACCOUNTABILITY," he said.
Opposing the Bill, Abhishek Banerjee accused the Modi government of failing to uphold its duty of safeguarding the sovereignty of the nation.
"We strongly condemn this authoritarian attitude and oppose the introduction of this DRACONIAN CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT BILL. The Government of India, instead of providing relief to the people and working for the genuine development of farmers, workers and the poor, has completely failed to uphold its duty of safeguarding the sovereignty of the nation," the TMC leader said.
"Having failed in its attempt to misuse the EC to implement SIR, the government has now activated another "E" -- ED - to bring in laws that target opposition leaders, crush democracy and manipulate the people's mandate by toppling State Govts. This government has proven itself to be anti-people, anti-farmer, anti-poor, anti-SC, anti-ST, anti-OBC, anti FEDERAL and above all ANTI INDIA," he said.
Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah will introduce three bills in Lok Sabha on Wednesday - including the Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, 2025, which seeks to remove a Central or State Minister who is facing allegations of corruption or serious offences and has been detained for at least 30 days.
According to the List of Business in the Lok Sabha, Shah will introduce the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirtieth Amendment) Bill, 2025, to further amend the Constitution of India and the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, 2025, apart from the bill to amend the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019.
The Union Home Minister will further move to refer these Bills to a Joint Committee of the Houses consisting of 21 Members of the Lok Sabha to be nominated by the Speaker and 10 Members of the Rajya Sabha to be nominated by the Deputy Chairman.
The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill 2025 seeks to amend section 54 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, to provide a legal framework for the removal of the Chief Minister or a Minister in case of arrest or detention in custody on account of serious criminal charges.
It stated that a Minister facing allegations of serious criminal offences, who is arrested and detained in custody, may undermine the principles of constitutional morality and good governance, ultimately eroding the constitutional trust people have in him. (ANI)