"Everyone had agreed after prior discussion": Rijiju questions opposition's conduct during discussion on Constitution Amendment Bill

New Delhi [India], August 24 (ANI): Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju questioned the conduct of the Opposition during the discussion on the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirtieth Amendment) Bill, 2025, in the Parliament, stating that an "understanding" had been reached beforehand to maintain order in the House.
In an interview with ANI on Saturday, Union Minister Rijiju explained that such an amendment demands careful settlement and orderly conduct in the House.
Asked about whether the Centre had discussions with the Opposition on the 130th Constitutional Amendment Bill beforehand, the Union Minister said, "Everyone had agreed after prior discussion (to maintain the order of the House)... Constitutional amendment passes with two-thirds majority, and the House has to be in order. The Speaker told the members that when the Home Minister presents the bill, no members will come into the well... This was agreed to. As soon as the House began, TMC MPs jumped into the well. Started throwing papers. Congress's Venugopal also started tearing papers. What happened to the understanding?"
The Parliamentary Affairs Minister further alleged that the Congress MPs and Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs had disrupted the proceedings during the introduction of the bill on the 'directive' of the party's top leadership.
He said, "I don't want to blame the Congress MPs. They have to work as their leaders ask them to. TMC's Mamata Banerjee orders her MPs from Kolkata, then they are compelled (to create ruckus) here... They say something, but they get different orders from above, and the ruckus begins."
Stating that the Constitution Amendment Bill introduced in Lok Sabha is "revolutionary" and the Opposition should have welcomed it, Rijiju that Prime Minister Narendra Modi refused to be exempt from its provisions which entail removal of PM, CM and Union and state ministers if they are jailed for serious offences.
Rijiju said that PM Modi told the cabinet that the recommendation is to keep the Prime Minister out of this bill, but he did not agree. He said PM Modi refused to give an exception to the prime minister.
Rijiju also said the people in the country are welcoming the provisions of the Constitution Amendment Bill and the opposition parties would have welcomed it too if they "had kept ethics at the centre."
"PM Modi told the cabinet that the recommendation is to keep the prime minister out of this bill, but he did not agree. 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 CMs are from our party. If they do something wrong, they have to leave their position. Ethics should also mean something. The Opposition would have welcomed this bill had they kept ethics at the centre," he said.
The Constitution Amendment Bill provides for the removal of the Prime Minister, Chief Minister or any other Minister in the central or a state government, if he is arrested and detained in custody on account of serious criminal offences. Two more bills with similar provisions in Puducherry, and Jammu and Kashmir were also introduced in Lok Sahba. The three bills will be examined by a Joint Parliamentary Committee.
Opposition parties have opposed the bills. (ANI)