New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said that the government was forced to bring three constitutional amendment bills because Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal continued to run the government from jail. Shah argued that if Kejriwal had resigned before his arrest, the amendments would not have been necessary.
Speaking to Manorama News, Shah recalled that in the past, several Chief Ministers and ministers who faced jail resigned beforehand. He termed the current situation “unprecedented” and a matter of **morality in governance**.
‘Constitution Did Not Anticipate This Situation’
“I asked people in Parliament — do they want any Chief Minister or Prime Minister to run a government from jail? It is a question of morality,” Shah said.
He added that when the Constitution was framed, it was not expected that leaders would refuse to resign even after going to jail. “In 75 years, ministers and Chief Ministers went to jail, but they resigned first. But an odd incident happened where the Chief Minister of Delhi ran the government from jail. That is why we had to amend the Constitution,” Shah noted.
Shah Blames Kejriwal for Forcing Amendments
The Home Minister stressed that the BJP had never felt the need for such an amendment earlier despite being in power for a long time. “If Kejriwal had resigned, we would not have to change the Constitution. Both government and opposition have a duty to maintain standards of morality in governance,” he said.
Three Bills Referred to JPC
On Thursday, Shah introduced three constitutional amendment bills in Parliament:
1. **Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, 2025**
2. **Constitution (One Hundred and Thirtieth Amendment) Bill, 2025**
3. **Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2025**
The bills seek to lay down rules for removing a Prime Minister, Chief Minister, or any minister if they remain under arrest for 30 consecutive days on serious charges.
Parliament has passed a motion referring these bills to a **Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC)** of both Houses. The committee must submit its reports on the first day of the last week of the next Parliamentary Session.
Tags: #AmitShah #ArvindKejriwal #ConstitutionAmendment #DelhiPolitics #JPC #IndianParliament #BJP
