New Delhi: Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday revealed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi declined a proposal to exclude himself from a new bill aimed at disqualifying ministers who face serious criminal charges.
Speaking about internal cabinet deliberations, Rijiju said there was a suggestion to exempt the Prime Minister from the legislation, but Modi firmly opposed the idea.
“During discussions, it was suggested that the Prime Minister be left out of this provision, but PM Modi did not agree. He clearly said that he is also a citizen like everyone else and should not be given any special protection. Most chief ministers belong to our own party, and if any of them are guilty of wrongdoing, they must vacate their posts. Ethics should matter in politics. Had the Opposition placed ethics at the centre, they would have supported this bill,” Rijiju said, as quoted by ANI.
The comment comes days after the Centre introduced three significant proposals 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.
Under these bills, if the Prime Minister, a Union minister, or a state chief minister is taken into custody for 30 consecutive days in connection with an offence that carries a minimum punishment of five years, they will lose their office automatically on the 31st day.
On Thursday, the Rajya Sabha approved a motion to refer all three bills to a Joint Parliamentary Committee. Home Minister Amit Shah moved the motion amid protests in the Upper House. This development came a day after the Lok Sabha took a similar step, with Shah tabling the bills amid Opposition resistance.
The Lok Sabha has already constituted a 31-member Joint Committee 21 from the Lower House and 10 from the Upper House to scrutinise the proposals. The Rajya Sabha also approved the names of its 10 representatives on Thursday. The panel has been directed to present its report in the Winter Session, anticipated in the third week of November.