Opposition members protest in the well of the Lok Sabha during the Monsoon session of Parliament in New Delhi on Wednesday. (Sansad TV via PTI Photo)
New Delhi: The BJP on Wednesday said the opposition members’ protest in the Lok Sabha against three Bills providing for the removal of the prime minister, chief ministers and ministers on their arrest for 30 days on serious charges showed they stood by corruption and the corrupt.
The BJP MPs also slammed the opposition members for “throwing torn papers at Home Minister Amit Shah” during their protest in the House, terming it “shameful and undemocratic”, and said Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla should take action in the matter.
Slamming the opposition parties, Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan said those opposing the three Bills want to bring anarchy and show that they are above the law. “This law is very necessary under today’s circumstances,” he told reporters in the Parliament House complex.
There have been some instances in recent times when some people want to run the government and their ministries from jail, Pradhan said. “We saw recently that in some states, people occupying constitutional positions did not resign even after being arrested,” he said, and asked, “Is this what our Constitution says?”
“They (the opposition) should clarify whether they support that nobody should resign even if they are behind bars,” Pradhan demanded.
The three Bills seek to enhance “transparency”, the Union minister asserted, adding that it has been a convention that any member of the government resigns after getting arrested.
BJP MP and former Union minister Anurag Thakur said the way the opposition members protested in the House showed that “they stand by corruption and the corrupt, and they are ready to go to any extent to save the corrupt.”
“The question arises as to what the opposition is protesting against. Is it morality or corruption?” he told reporters.
Union minister and LJP (Ram Vilas) leader Chirag Paswan supported the Bill and said it is against corruption. “The opposition members could have protested from their seats… But they came near the treasury benches, near the home minister. They created a ruckus, tore papers and then they tore pieces of papers at the face of the country’s home minister,” he told reporters in the Parliament House complex when asked to comment.
“Is it the right way to protest?” he asked.
BJP MP Jagdambika Pal termed the Opposition’s protest “undemocratic” and said it was an attack on the country’s democracy.
The protesting members of the Congress, Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Samajwadi Party (SP) stormed the Well and came closer to the home minister, Pal said, adding, “Any unpleasant incident would have happened today.”
“In a way, it’s a black day. The Speaker must take action in this matter,” he told PTI Videos.
This post was last modified on August 20, 2025 7:04 pm