During the discussion on the 130th constitutional amendment in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal engaged in a vigorous exchange. The introduction of the amendment prompted a heated debate, particularly due to the comments made by Venugopal. These comments elicited a strong response from the Home Minister.
The contentious moment arose when Venugopal made a personal remark about Amit Shah, referring to the 2010 Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case. Venugopal highlighted that Shah was the Home Minister of Gujarat during that time and questioned if he was arrested, and if he had adhered to ethical guidelines. This statement caused immediate commotion in the House.
Amit Shah responded to Venugopal’s remarks, questioning whether Venugopal could lecture him on ethics. The Home Minister mentioned that he also faced a legal case and was imprisoned, but he had resigned before the case proceeded. He added that he did not hold any government position throughout the legal proceedings.
The 130th constitutional amendment is aimed at placing prominent figures under the purview of the law. This includes Chief Ministers, Union Ministers, and the Prime Minister. It allows for the removal of Ministers and Chief Ministers if arrested or detained, and requires them to resign if in judicial custody for more than 30 days. The government views this as a significant step to address crime in politics. Additionally, the amendment stipulates that the Prime Minister, Chief Ministers, and cabinet members must resign if they are unable to secure bail within a month of being arrested for any crime.