Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Derek O'Brien has slammed the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) tasked with reviewing controversial bills proposing the removal of the prime minister, chief ministers, and ministers arrested for 30 consecutive days, declaring it lacks credibility.

In a scathing blog titled Six Reasons Why JPCs Do Not Inspire Confidence, published Friday, O'Brien cited historical and recent examples of ruling party dominance in JPCs, fueling Opposition distrust. The TMC, along with the Samajwadi Party, Aam Aadmi Party, and Shiv Sena (UBT), have announced they will boycott the panel, escalating tensions over the contentious legislation.

O'Brien highlighted past JPCs to underline his skepticism. He referenced the 1987 JPC on the Bofors scam, boycotted by six major Opposition parties, including current BJP allies Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), due to its Congress-dominated composition. The panel’s 1988 report was rejected as biased. Similarly, the 2013 JPC on the Augusta Westland chopper scam was dismissed by then-Opposition leader Arun Jaitley as a “diversionary tactic.” O'Brien noted that since 2014, 11 JPCs have been formed, with seven constituted on the last day of parliamentary sessions, limiting scrutiny, compared to just three between 2004 and 2014.

The TMC leader also criticized a recent JPC on the Waqf Amendment Bill, which initially redacted Opposition dissent notes, only reinstating them after protests. O'Brien pointed out a pattern where ruling parties forming JPCs often lost subsequent elections, citing Congress’s losses after the 1987 Bofors and 1992 Harshad Mehta JPCs, and the BJP’s loss after the 2002 Ketan Parekh JPC. “Coincidence or trend?” he questioned, suggesting public backlash against perceived manipulations.

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The controversy centers on three bills introduced in the Lok Sabha last week: the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill 2025, the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirtieth Amendment) Bill 2025, and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill 2025. These propose a legal framework to remove top officials arrested for 30 days on serious charges, sparking fierce Opposition protests, with lawmakers tearing and flinging bill copies in Parliament. The bills were referred to a JPC with 21 Lok Sabha and 10 Rajya Sabha members, tasked with submitting a report by the winter session, expected in mid-November.

The Opposition’s boycott reflects deep concerns over the JPC’s impartiality, with O'Brien arguing that ruling party dominance undermines fair deliberation. The bills have ignited a political firestorm, with Opposition leaders alleging they threaten democratic norms by targeting elected officials without due process. As tempers flare and parties dig in, the JPC’s formation has deepened India’s political divide, raising questions about legislative transparency and the balance of power in parliamentary processes.

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