Photo: ANI
New Delhi: Sources indicated that the entire Opposition, including the Congress, is expected to boycott the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) that will review three bills proposing the removal of top government functionaries — including the prime minister and chief ministers — if they are arrested or detained for 30 consecutive days.
According to the report, the Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, Aam Aadmi Party, and Shiv Sena (UBT) have already declared they will not participate in the panel, which has not yet been set up.
The Congress, which initially appeared open to sending members, has now decided to join its INDIA bloc allies in boycotting the committee. Party insiders suggested that this reversal was intended to maintain opposition unity ahead of the Bihar elections and to sustain the campaign around alleged “vote theft” raised during the Monsoon Session, TNIE reported.
The JPC has been directed to submit its report during the Winter Session, expected to begin in the third week of November.
Earlier, the Congress, DMK, and CPI(M) had argued that the Opposition should nominate members to the committee and use the platform to resist the bill, which they consider unconstitutional and damaging to the federal structure. According to sources, these parties believed that the TMC’s unilateral call for a boycott had been made without prior consultation.
One opposition leader observed that while the TMC pushed for a collective boycott, many within the bloc had felt the government would pass the legislation regardless. In their view, it was important to formally register opposition and highlight the bill’s harshness.