Cong tells Rijiju it won't join Parliament Joint Committee on bills to oust jailed CMs, ministers

New Delhi, Oct 13 (PTI) The Congress has informed Union Minister Kiren Rijiju that it, along with other opposition parties, will not be a part of the joint committee of Parliament on three Bills that seek the removal of top government functionaries under arrest for 30 consecutive days on serious charges, party sources said on Monday.

They said the party conveyed the decision to the Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister as opposition parties unanimously decided to boycott the committee.

At least three parties -- the Trinamool Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Aam Aadmi Party -- had earlier declared that they will not be part of the committee.

The Samajwadi Party had also hinted at supporting the view that the opposition should be united in not joining the panel.

Last month, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said that no political party had written to him about boycotting the joint committee of Parliament to examine the three Bills.

"On the issue of JPC, no political party has communicated to me in writing on this subject," Birla had told reporters.

On the last day of the Monsoon Session, Home Minister Amit Shah introduced the three Bills in the Lok Sabha - the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill; the Constitution (One Hundred And Thirtieth Amendment) Bill; and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill.

The proposed laws call for the removal of the prime minister, chief ministers, and ministers under arrest for 30 consecutive days on serious charges.

The Bills ignited fierce protest from the entire opposition, which claimed they were unconstitutional and aimed at targeting its leaders in power in different states.

The House sent the Bills to a joint committee of Parliament, which will have 21 members from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha, for scrutiny. The panel has not been formed yet. PTI ASK NSD NSD