Union Home Minister Amit Shah strongly criticised the Opposition’s ‘Black Bill’ protests against the Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, asserting that both he and the BJP firmly reject the notion that the nation “cannot function without a jailed individual.” He questioned whether a Prime Minister, Chief Minister, or any leader could govern from behind bars.
Here are the top ten updates:
1. Shah on 130th Amendment) Bill | Shah also noted that it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who had personally insisted on including the office of the Prime Minister under the provisions of the bill. In an interview with ANI, Amit Shah said, “I want to ask the entire nation and the Opposition… Can a Chief Minister, Prime Minister, or any leader run the country from jail? Does that suit the dignity of our democracy?”
2. “The Prime Minister himself has included the post of PM in this… Earlier, Indira Gandhi had brought the 39th amendment (of protecting the President, VP, PM, and Speaker from judicial review by Indian courts) … Narendra Modi ji has brought a constitutional amendment against himself that if the Prime Minister goes to jail, he will have to resign…,” said Amit Shah.
3. Referring to the time when the UPA government was in power at the Centre, Shah said under the Manmohan Singh government, the Congress had introduced an ordinance to protect convicted MPs, which Rahul Gandhi publicly rejected by tearing it up. “In the Satyendra Jain (AAP leader) case, he was jailed in four cases, and in all those, the CBI filed a chargesheet. He is facing trial. You became a victim of AAP’s propaganda. Now, let me talk about Congress. They are opposing this. However, during the UPA government, when Manmohan Singh was Prime Minister and Lalu Prasad Yadav was a minister who had been convicted, they introduced an ordinance stating that even a two-year sentence would not result in the cancellation of a member’s membership until the appeal process was complete,” Shah said.
4. Shah on Vice Presidential candidate | Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday backed the NDA’s choice of Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan as its Vice Presidential nominee, saying it was only fitting for the post to be held by a leader from southern India. “It was natural that the vice presidential candidate comes from South India because the President is from East India and the Prime Minister is from the West and North. “Radhakrishnan has a long political life. He has been a member of Parliament twice. He has been our party’s president (in Tamil Nadu). He has been the Governor of Jharkhand, Telangana, Puducherry, and Maharashtra. He has led a clean public life. He is also a very mature politician,” Union Home Minister Shah told ANI in an interview.
5. Ex-VP Jagdeep Dhankar’s resignation | Speaking on former VP Dhankar’s resignation, Shah said, “Dhankar Sahab’s resignation letter is clear in itself. He has cited health reasons for his resignation. He has also expressed heartfelt gratitude towards the Prime Minister and other ministers and government members for his good tenure.”
6. “When asked about Dhankar being under “house arrest” as claimed by certain opposition leaders, Shah said the interpretation of truth and lies should not rely solely on opposition statements and warned against making a fuss over the former VP’s resignation,” he added.
7. Dig on Congress | Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday drew a sharp contrast between the BJP’s direct engagement with the public and the Congress’s outreach efforts led by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, stating there is a “big difference” between the two.
8. CISF presence in Parliament | In an interview with ANI, the Home Minister said, “First, please understand this one point clearly. Inside Parliament, any force present there, is under the authority of the Speaker. The identity of the force itself does not matter. Earlier, it used to be personnel from the Delhi Police; now it is CISF.”
9. He added, “But the moment they come within the security perimeter of the House, they are no longer considered CISF or Delhi Police personnel, they are regarded as Marshals. And they function under the Speaker’s authority. Marshals enter the House only when the Speaker orders them to do so.”
10. Earlier on August 5, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said the Modi government “has accepted” that CISF personnel were deployed in the Rajya Sabha and said whatever name is used for their presence in the House, “it is an insult to Parliament”. In a post on X, Jairam Ramesh targeted the government and said Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge was right in asking if Union Home Minister Amit Shah has “taken over control of the Council of States”.
(With inputs from agencies)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
