BJP's Aparajita Sarangi to chair joint panel on bills to remove PM, CMs; 4 oppn MPs part of it

New Delhi, Nov 12 (PTI) BJP leader Aparajita Sarangi was on Wednesday appointed as chairperson of the Joint Committee of Parliament to examine bills to remove the prime minister, chief ministers and Union/state cabinet ministers, if they are arrested or detained for 30 days straight on serious charges.

With key opposition parties announcing a boycott of the committee, the 31-member panel has four members from the opposition ranks, 15 from the BJP, 11 from NDA constituents and one nominated member.

NCP-SP leader Supriya Sule, Akali Dal's Harsimrat Kaur Badal, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi and YSRCP member Niranjan Reddy from the opposition parties have been named as members of the Joint Committee on the bills -- The Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, 2025; The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2025; and The Government Of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, 2025, according to a Lok Sabha Secretariat statement.

Several opposition parties, such as the Congress and Trinamool Congress, have decided not to be part of the committee. The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) who are not part of the opposition INDIA bloc too have stayed away from the panel.

YSRCP, Akali Dal and AIMIM are not part of the opposition INDIA bloc.

Almost every NDA constituent party has got representation on the committee. Sudha Murty, nominated member of the Rajya Sabha, too is the member of the panel.

Besides Sarangi, BJP's Lok Sabha members Ravi Shankar Prasad, Bhartruhari Mahtab, Pradan Baruah, Brijmohan Agrawal, Vishnu Dayal Ram, D K Aruna, Parshottambhai Rupala, and Anurag Thakur are part of the committee.

BJP's Rajya Sabha members Brij Lal, Ujjwal Nikam, Nabam Rebia, Neeraj Shekhar, Manan Kumar Mishra and K Laxman are also part of the panel.

The NDA partners who have found place on the committee are Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu (TDP), Devesh Chandra Thakur (JD-U), Dhairyasheel Mane (SS), Balashowry Vallabhaneni (JSP), Indra Hang Subba (SKM), Sunil Tatkare (NCP), M Mallesh Babu (JD-S), Joyanta Basumatary (UPPL), Rajesh Verma (LJSP-RV), Birendra Prasad Baishya (AGP) and C V Shanmugam (AIADMK).

The Constitution amendment bill and two other proposed legislations were introduced on the last day of the Monsoon session of Parliament on August 20. A motion was adopted by the Lok Sabha to refer the three bills to a joint committee of Parliament.

Breaking ranks with other opposition parties, NCP-SP decided to be part of the 31-member committee.

Opposition leaders argue that the bills violate the fundamental principle of law of a person being innocent until proven guilty and resort to automatic sacking of the prime minister, chief ministers and ministers if they fail to get bail within a month of arrest in serious criminal matters.

The government contends that the draft law was necessary as Arvind Kejriwal refused to quit as Delhi chief minister despite his arrest in a criminal case. PTI SKU NAB SKU KVK KVK