New Delhi, August 20: The Lok Sabha on Wednesday witnessed unprecedented uproar after Home Minister Amit Shah introduced the Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, 2025, aimed at creating a legal framework to remove prime ministers, Union ministers, chief ministers and state ministers from office if they remain under detention for 30 consecutive days on serious criminal charges.
Even before Shah could speak, opposition MPs stormed the Well of the House, tore copies of the Bill and shouted slogans, prompting Speaker Om Birla to adjourn proceedings multiple times. The Well and aisles of the chamber were littered with shredded papers as tempers flared.
Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee led the charge, rushing towards the treasury benches along with fellow party MPs and hurling torn copies of the Bill in the direction of the Home Minister. BJP leaders, including Anurag Thakur, Ravneet Singh Bittu and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, quickly formed a protective ring around Shah.
The clashes nearly descended into physical altercations as MPs from both sides exchanged heated words, shouting “chor, chor” at each other. Speaker Birla repeatedly appealed for calm, warning members against undermining the dignity of Parliament.
Despite the ruckus, Shah managed to table the Bill and announced that a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) — with 21 members from Lok Sabha and 10 from Rajya Sabha — would scrutinise it along with two related legislations: the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2025 and the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, 2025. The JPC will present its report in the winter session.
The government defended the move as a step to uphold “morality in public life,” but opposition leaders alleged it was unconstitutional and susceptible to misuse.
Congress MP Manish Tewari argued that the Bills violated the basic structure of the Constitution.
“The rule of law says you are innocent until proven guilty. This is destructive of the basic structure because the potential for misuse of state instrumentalities is enormous. It is violative of Article 21 of the Constitution of India,” Tewari said, warning that detention cannot substitute conviction.
AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi echoed similar concerns, saying the legislation undermined the principle of separation of powers and threatened democratic governance.
“I stand to oppose these Bills. They give executive agencies a free run to become judge and executioner based on flimsy allegations and suspicions. This government is hell-bent on creating a police state. It will be a death nail for elected governments,” Owaisi said.
At present, convicted lawmakers face disqualification under the Representation of the People Act, but there is no provision for ministers in detention without conviction. The government maintains the new framework would fill this gap.
Opposition parties, however, fear the law could be weaponised against political opponents, allowing governments to topple elected leaders through prolonged detentions without judicial conviction.
As the chaos stretched into the afternoon, BJP members demanded suspension of opposition MPs for their “unruly” behaviour. Later, in a closed-door meeting, senior BJP and NDA leaders huddled with the Speaker to discuss possible disciplinary action.
The confrontation is set to continue, with opposition parties preparing to mount a coordinated campaign against the Bills in the committee stage and beyond.
