New Delhi: Congress has informed Union Minister Kiren Rijiju that it, along with other opposition parties, will not participate in the parliamentary joint committee formed to review three contentious Bills proposing the removal of top government officials detained for 30 consecutive days on serious charges.
Party sources said the decision was officially communicated to the Parliamentary Affairs Minister after all opposition parties reached a unanimous agreement to boycott the panel. A TNIE report dated September 14 had already indicated that the entire opposition, including Congress, had decided against nominating members to the committee.
Earlier, parties such as the Trinamool Congress (TMC), Shiv Sena (UBT), and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had publicly stated they would not join the panel, while the Samajwadi Party (SP) had expressed similar sentiments, emphasising the need for opposition unity on the issue, TNIE reported.
However, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla had noted last month that no party had formally informed him in writing about any decision to boycott the committee. He told reporters that no official communication had been received from any political party regarding the matter.
During the final day of the Monsoon Session, Home Minister Amit Shah introduced the three proposed laws in the Lok Sabha — the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirtieth Amendment) Bill, and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization (Amendment) Bill.
These Bills seek provisions for the removal of the Prime Minister, chief ministers, and ministers if they are held in custody for 30 consecutive days on serious criminal charges. The Bills sparked strong opposition protests, with leaders alleging that the move was unconstitutional and aimed at targeting opposition-led governments in different states.