The Congress party is expected to boycott the Joint Committee of Parliament (JCP) set up to review three contentious bills aimed at the removal of the Prime Minister, Chief Ministers, and Ministers who are under arrest for 30 consecutive days on serious charges, as reported by the news agency PTI citing sources.
The party’s decision may be communicated to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla soon, according to the agency’s report. Prior to Congress’s announcement, allies within the INDIA bloc—including the Trinamool Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and Aam Aadmi Party—had already stated they would not participate in the committee. The Samajwadi Party has similarly suggested that the Opposition should present a united front against joining the panel. While some opposition parties have not publicly declared their positions, no party has expressed a willingness to be part of the committee.
Earlier in the month, Speaker Birla mentioned that no political party had formally notified him about any intention to boycott the JCP tasked with examining the three bills. “On the issue of JPC, no political party has communicated to me in writing on this subject,” Birla told reporters.
The three bills in question were introduced by Home Minister Amit Shah on the final day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament on August 20. They are the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirtieth Amendment) Bill, and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill. These proposed laws stipulate the removal of the Prime Minister, Chief Ministers, and Ministers if they are arrested for a continuous period of 30 days on serious charges.
The bills have sparked significant opposition, with claims that they are unconstitutional and designed to specifically target leaders from various states. The House has referred these bills to a joint committee of Parliament, yet the panel, comprising 21 members from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha, has yet to be established.
Reports indicate that Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju may personally approach key opposition leaders—including Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, senior leader Jairam Ramesh, SP leader Akhilesh Yadav, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, and TMC leader Mamata Banerjee—in an effort to persuade them to nominate members for the committee.
