Friends of graft opposing efforts to bring morality in politics: BJP on bills for removing PM, CMs

New Delhi, Aug 25 (PTI) The BJP on Monday slammed the opposition for objecting to three bills for the removal of prime minister, chief ministers, and ministers under arrest for 30 consecutive days on serious charges, saying "friends of corruption" are opposing the government's effort to bring morality in politics.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters here, party national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said the three bills brought by the Narendra Modi government aim to bring in "morality, clean politics, and good governance".

These can serve as a "weapon or a tool" to effectively fight against corruption and criminalisation in politics, he said.

"The entire country is welcoming these bills. A handful of opposition parties are saying they are with shamelessness, not morality. They are saying they are with their family, not with propriety and principles in politics... These 'bhrastachar ke yaar' (friends of corruption) are opposing the bills," he charged.

Slamming the opposition parties over their stand against the bills, Poonwalla called them a "bandwagon of corrupts" and alleged that they have come together to protect "corruption" in the name of saving democracy and the Constitution.

"You are not protecting democracy. You are protecting the corruption committed by your family," he charged.

Last Wednesday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah introduced in the Lok Sabha three Bills for the removal of prime minister, chief ministers, and ministers under arrest for 30 consecutive days on serious charges, drawing fierce protests from opposition MPs who tore up copies of the draft law and marched close to his seat shouting slogans.

The bills were sent by the House to a Joint Committee of Parliament comprising 21 members from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha for scrutiny. The committee, whose members will soon be named, has been asked to submit its report to the House by the last day of the first week of the next session, expected in the third week of November.

The opposition parties are up in arms against three bills, with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday alleging that after "vote chori", the BJP was now engaged in "satta chori" by bringing the draft bills to "topple opposition governments within 30 days" and "destabilise" democracy by using arrest as a weapon.

The Congress president also claimed that the bills take away the right of citizens to form or remove their elected government and give that power to institutions like the ED and CBI.

The Trinamool Congress and the Samajwadi Party have already said they will not nominate anyone to represent the party in the Joint Committee of Parliament. The AAP on Sunday announced that it will also not participate in the committee's meetings. PTI PK NSD NSD