Ethics in Politics

The conduct of opposition MPs during the presentation of three bills by Home Minister Shri Amit Shah in the Lok Sabha today is indefensible. These bills include the Constitution Amendment Bill, an amendment to the Union Territory or State Act, and an amendment to the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, all of which are interconnected. The opposition is vehemently opposing these bills, leading some members to tear up copies of the bills within the House. The Constitution Amendment Bill aims to promote integrity in Indian politics. It includes a provision that if any individual, from the Prime Minister to any Chief Minister or state Minister, is detained for more than thirty days after being arrested by an investigative agency or police on charges that carry a potential punishment of five years or more, they will be removed from their position on the 31st day. Currently, a minister can retain their position until they are convicted by a court.

Opposition MPs say that such provisions will be used against the Chief Ministers or Ministers of non-BJP ruled states because at present the top investigation agencies are often targeting them. If the whole matter is seen from the government's point of view, the ruling party is saying that this will be a step towards establishing morality in politics. But the central government can do this only when the 75th article of the Constitution is amended. In this article, the appointment of the Prime Minister and the ministers of the states and their responsibilities have been explained. However, while presenting the bill, Mr. Shah also said that the bills can also be sent to the Joint Investigation Committee of Parliament first. Obviously, today, Thursday, is the last day of the Sawan session of Parliament, so the bills cannot be discussed in detail within the House. The opposition is also saying that the bill is completely against the Constitution and against the fundamental rights of the citizens.

The opposition, especially the Congress leaders, believe that the government has deliberately brought this bill a day before the end of the session so that the attention of the people of the country can be diverted from the discrepancies found in the voter list in Bihar. Everyone knows that at present the opposition has taken hold of this issue and is targeting the Election Commission. The BJP seems to be standing in favor of the Election Commission, due to which the opposition has started fighting its battle on the streets of Bihar. In Bihar, Congress leader Mr. Rahul Gandhi and the leader of the state's main political party Rashtriya Janata Dal, Mr. Tejashwi Yadav, are jointly taking out a rally against the voter revision list, which is also getting the support of the people there. The discussion going on in the political corridors that all this exercise is being done in view of the elections to be held in Bihar after two months, is not allowing the facts to remain neutral. But the real question is not this, but what measures should be taken to keep politics pure? Legal experts know it well that if any MP or MLA is caught in such a crime that he is sentenced for more than two years, then his membership of his house is lost. This law already exists. But despite this, there is no dearth of accused members in the Parliament and Vidhan Sabhas. Leaders released on bail from various courts are also present in the elected houses.

If Amit Shah believes that leaders detained by the police for over 30 days at the accusation stage should be removed from their parliamentary membership, the moral correctness of this can only be ultimately decided by the country's judiciary. However, the events that have transpired in Parliament regarding this issue are not considered appropriate. Throughout the current parliamentary session, only Operation Sindoor has been a topic of meaningful discussion. Opposition parties have been calling for a debate on the voter revision list in Bihar since the session began, but have not been granted permission. As a result, the entire session has been filled with considerable commotion. Both ruling and opposition MPs need to reflect on the moral responsibility of a minister or chief minister when they are arrested on corruption charges. This question is directly linked to the current political integrity. Therefore, the primary issue is that purity should first be established in politics. To pass the constitutional amendment proposed by Mr. Shah, a two-thirds majority is required in both houses of Parliament. The Modi government does not possess such a majority. Additionally, the bill must be approved by half of the country's states. Consequently, it is likely that this issue will spark intense debate across the nation in the future.