The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Saturday termed the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) constituted in Parliament as a “tamasha” and said it will not send any of its members to it. The committee has been formed to consider three bills recently introduced in the Lok Sabha – Union Territory Government (Amendment) Bill 2025, Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-Fifth Amendment) Bill 2025 and Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill 2025. These bills propose a legal framework for the removal of the Prime Minister, Chief Minister and Ministers in case they are arrested for 30 consecutive days on serious charges.
TMC’s opposition and distance from JPC
The Trinamool Congress said it has been opposing the 130th Constitution Amendment Bill since its introduction stage and according to it, the JPC is just a sham. The party made it clear that therefore it will not nominate anyone to this committee. TMC says that the government’s aim through the bills is to take political advantage, and this move is an insult to the democratic process. The move has led to discontent among the opposition and the public and has become a topic of political debate.
Sharp reaction from opposition parties
The opposition has strongly opposed these bills. These bills were introduced in the last phase of the monsoon session, leading many opposition parties to call it a violation of the time limit. The JPC has been directed to submit its report in the winter session, which will likely begin in the third week of November. The opposition believes that the bills are aimed only at protecting the leaders in power and affecting democratic rights.
Derrick O’Brien targeted the central government
TMC leader in the Rajya Sabha Derrick O’Brien described the central government as “defensive” during the monsoon session and said that the government took several measures to disrupt the functioning of the session. He wrote on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) that the Modi-led coalition government remained defensive even with 239 seats, the vice-president was absent and the new national president of the BJP has not been appointed yet. He also alleged that there were attempts to disrupt voting and debate during the session.
