Bhubaneswar: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Saturday assured that the proposed joint parliamentary committee (JPC) to scrutinise the three contentious Bills seeking removal of top government functionaries under arrest will have representation from across political parties, in keeping with parliamentary traditions.
Speaking to reporters in Bhubaneswar after the conclusion of a national conference of chairpersons of committees of Parliament and state legislatures on SC/ST welfare, Birla said, “My effort will be to maintain the best traditions. I will hold discussions with all political parties. Parliamentary committees function above political divisions, giving members the freedom to express themselves.”
The Speaker said parties have been asked to submit the names of their representatives and the committee will be formed soon.
The assurance comes amid mounting opposition to the three Bills — the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, 2025, the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirtieth Amendment) Bill, 2025, and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2025 — introduced by Home Minister Amit Shah on August 20 in the Lok Sabha.
The proposed laws stipulate that the Prime Minister, Chief Ministers, or ministers arrested for 30 consecutive days on serious charges be removed from their posts. The Bills sparked intense protests from Opposition parties, which termed them unconstitutional and politically motivated.
While the Lok Sabha has referred the Bills to a 31-member joint committee (21 from Lok Sabha and 10 from Rajya Sabha), the panel has yet to be constituted. Several Opposition parties including the Trinamool Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and Aam Aadmi Party have already declared they will boycott the committee. The Congress is undecided, while the Samajwadi Party has indicated support for a united Opposition stand against joining.
