A fiery exchange erupted in the Lok Sabha between Congress MP KC Venugopal and Home Minister Amit Shah over controversial bills mandating resignation of elected officials arrested for serious charges and detained for over 30 days. The bills, introduced Wednesday, aim to enforce morality in politics but have ignited accusations of undermining democracy.

Venugopal challenged Shah’s moral stance, questioning his arrest as Gujarat’s home minister. Shah retorted, “I resigned before my arrest, despite fake allegations, and held no constitutional post until cleared. They dare lecture us on morality?” The bills—Constitution (One Hundred And Thirtieth Amendment) Bill, 2025, Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2025—require leaders like the Prime Minister, Union ministers, and chief ministers to resign or face automatic removal if detained for 30 days on charges carrying a minimum five-year sentence.

The opposition, including Congress and AIMIM, slammed the bills as anti-constitutional. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra called them “draconian,” warning they could topple opposition-led governments by enabling arrests without convictions. “It’s a veil over people’s eyes,” she said. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi accused the BJP of turning India into a “police state,” vowing to oppose the legislation.

Also Read: Monsoon Session: Lok Sabha Adjourned Over Gaming Bill, Bihar Rolls

The government defends the bills as measures to ensure probity, citing cases like former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and Tamil Nadu minister V Senthil Balaji, who remained in office post-arrest. Referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee for review, the bills continue to fuel heated debates over their implications for India’s federal structure and democratic principles.

Also Read: Monsoon Session: IIM Guwahati Set for National Glory