Chennai: The ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu on Friday ridiculed the NDA government over the nomenclature of three bills moved to replace existing criminal laws, saying it showed how much the BJP “is afraid of ‘India'”, alluding to the name of the multi-party opposition bloc.
Senior DMK leader and party spokesperson TKS Elangovan said the word ‘Bharatiya’ was being used in the bills instead of India as “they are afraid of the term.”
Union Home Minister Amit Shah introduced the bills in the Lok Sabha saying it would replace colonial-era laws, and asserting that the proposed laws would transform the country’s criminal justice system and protect the rights of the Indian citizen.
He introduced the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Bill, 2023; Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) Bill, 2023; and Bharatiya Sakshya (BS) Bill, 2023 that will replace the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Criminal Procedure Act, 1898; and the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 respectively.
He said the changes were done to provide speedy justice and create a legal system that keeps the contemporary needs and aspirations of the people in mind.
“They have changed the name of the bills as ‘Bharatiya’ instead of ‘India’. So how much they are afraid of India; they stand exposed,” Elangovan told PTI.
“They are afraid of the term ‘India’ because the name was taken by opposition parties. These are all very immature…exhibits the immaturity of this government,” he said.
The mega opposition grouping comprising of the Congress, DMK, Left parties, TMC and AAP, among others, was named Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) recently.
Elangovan, a former MP, also questioned the need for tabling the bills on the last day of the session.
“…..why should they introduce these bills and what they will do is rake up some trouble there. When the opposition parties walk out, there will be no voting; they will pass it,” he charged.
He termed the move “anti-democratic”.
