Will CMs run govt from jail? BJP questions opposition stand on 130th amendment

New Delhi, Aug 25 BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla on Monday launched a sharp attack on the Congress and AAP, alleging that while the nation has welcomed the 130th Constitutional Amendment Bill, opposition parties are opposing it only to shield corruption.

Branding the opposition parties the “Boycott Brigade” and “Guardians of Corruption,” Poonawalla said: “Today, when the entire nation has embraced this weapon of morality and good governance, some opposition leaders openly stand with shamelessness, not principles; with family and power, not the people.”

Speaking at a press conference here, he cited cases where ministers or chief ministers continued in office while in jail, forcing courts to intervene. “Are we now to see a concept of ‘Work From Jail’? Will cabinet meetings be held inside prison cells? How will emergencies like war or floods be managed from jail? Where will public hearings be held -- inside prisons?” he asked, terming such arrangements impractical and immoral.

Invoking Article 14 of the Constitution, Poonawalla pointed out that if a government employee spends two days in jail, he is automatically suspended, but some political parties argue that ministers or chief ministers should continue in office from prison. “Is this equality? Is this social justice?” he asked.

He accused opposition leaders of misusing the “save democracy” slogan to protect their own families’ corruption. “From fodder scams to land scams, mining scams, and job scams -- those entangled in corruption are uniting against a law designed to cleanse politics,” he said.

Poonawalla contrasted the Modi government’s stand with that of Indira Gandhi during the Emergency. “Fifty years ago, constitutional amendments were made to shield the Prime Minister from court scrutiny. Today, PM Modi says even he is not above the law -- if accused and jailed for 30 days, he too must step down,” he said.

He reminded Rahul Gandhi that in 2013, after the Lily Thomas judgment, he had torn up an ordinance meant to protect convicted MPs. “At that time, Rahul ji wore the cloak of morality. Today, when our government says that any representative who remains in jail for 30 days without relief must vacate office, Rahul Gandhi calls it unconstitutional. Were you lying then, or are you lying now?” he asked.

Poonawalla accused Congress and AAP of “peak hypocrisy.” “Congress once demanded Kejriwal’s resignation when he was in jail for 150 days. Today, the same party stands by him. Kejriwal ji himself once said that even without an FIR, ministers should resign. Why the U-turn now? Where is the Lokpal he promised in Punjab?” he said.

He also cited cases of Tamil Nadu’s former Minister Senthil Balaji, who remained minister for 244 days while in jail, and court remarks against opposition leaders prioritising personal interests over national interest.

“This gang of corrupt leaders wants the right to loot, not the right to equality. Their true agenda is not democracy but the ‘Right to Corruption, ’” he said.

He said the 130th Constitutional Amendment, brought under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is a historic step that will strengthen morality and good governance in politics, while serving as an effective weapon against corruption and criminalisation.

Poonawalla said the amendment reflects the vision of the Constituent Assembly, where stalwarts like K.M. Munshi hoped politics would always rest on the foundation of ethics.

He recalled examples of leaders such as Lal Bahadur Shastri, Lal Krishna Advani, Madan Lal Khurana, and even Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who had resigned on moral grounds when allegations were raised, contrasting it with today’s opposition leaders, who want to run governments from jail.

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