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Kejriwal slammed Amit Shah over the three new bills, questioning the consequences if someone brought “criminals” into their political party or falsely accused a minister.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. (PTI photos)
Former Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal hit back at Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the three new bills aimed at removing any prime minister, chief minister or minister who remains in jail for 30 consecutive days, asking what will happen to the person who is responsible for falsely implicating another minister.
During the recently concluded Monsoon Session of Parliament, Shah introduced a bill proposing that the Prime Minister, Chief Ministers, and Ministers be removed from office if they are jailed for over 30 days for serious offences. The Parliament witnessed protests as the Opposition termed the legislation “unconstitutional”.
Lashing out at Amit Shah for referencing Kejriwal’s continued hold at power despite being imprisoned, the AAP leader questioned what sentence should be given to a person who includes “criminals” in political parties and makes them ministers or chief ministers.
“If a person includes criminals accused of serious crimes in their political party, clears all their cases, and makes them ministers, deputy chief ministers, or chief ministers — should such a minister/prime minister also resign from their position? How many years of jail should such a person get?” he said on X.
जो व्यक्ति गंभीर गुनाहों के मुज़रिमों को अपनी पार्टी में शामिल करके उनके सारे केस रफ़ा दफ़ा करके उन्हें मंत्री, उपमुख्यमंत्री या मुख्यमंत्री बना देता है, क्या ऐसे मंत्री/प्रधान मंत्री को भी अपना पद छोड़ना चाहिए? ऐसे व्यक्ति को कितने साल की जेल होनी चाहिए?अगर किसी पर झूठा केस… https://t.co/cK3kNZrY14
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) August 25, 2025
Kejriwal also asked about the punishment for a minister for framing false charges against another. “If someone is falsely accused and sent to jail, and later they are acquitted, then how many years of jail should the minister who framed the false case get?” he said.
Kejriwal also defended retaining the Chief Ministerial post despite being arrested after ignoring nine summons from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the alleged Delhi liquor scam. He was the first CM to be arrested in office.
“Under a political conspiracy, when the central government framed me in a false case and sent me to jail, I ran the government for 160 days from jail. In the past seven months, the BJP government in Delhi has brought the city to such a state that today, the people of Delhi are remembering the ‘jail-time government’. At least during that jail-time government, there were no power cuts, water was available, free medicines were given in hospitals and mohalla clinics, free tests were conducted, the city didn’t get so badly affected by just one rainfall, and private schools were not allowed to act arbitrarily or indulge in hooliganism.”
राजनीतिक षड्यंत्र के तहत झूठे केस में फँसाकर जब केंद्र ने मुझे जेल भेजा तो मैंने जेल से 160 दिन सरकार चलायी।पिछले सात महीनों में दिल्ली की बीजेपी सरकार ने दिल्ली का ऐसा हाल कर दिया है कि आज दिल्ली वाले उस जेल वाली सरकार को याद कर रहे हैं। कम से कम जेल वाली सरकार के वक्त बिजली…
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) August 25, 2025
Amit Shah On Kejriwal
Earlier, while speaking to ANI, Amit Shah said it did not suit the democracy of India for any elected leader to continue in the post despite being imprisoned. “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?” he said.
In a reference towards Kejriwal, Shah said, “Even today, they are trying that if they ever have to go to jail, they will easily form the government from jail. The jail will be made CM House, PM House and the DGP, Chief Secretary, Cabinet Secretary or Home Secretary will take orders from the jail.”
“My party and I completely reject the idea that this country cannot be governed without the person who is sitting there,” he added. “One member will go, other members of the party will run the government, and when they get bail, they can come and take the oath again. What is the objection in this.”
The three bills — the Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, 2025; the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, 2025; and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2025 — were introduced in Parliament last week.
They propose that any prime minister, chief minister or minister who is arrested and held in custody for 30 days for an offence punishable by a minimum of five years in prison will automatically be removed from office on the 31st day. The President or the Governor, depending on jurisdiction, will have the authority to dismiss them.
Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international…Read More
Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international… Read More
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