Cong likely to boycott Joint Parliamentary Committee on 3 Bills

The Congress is unlikely to participate in the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) set up to examine three controversial Bills that seek the removal of the Prime Minister, Chief Ministers and Ministers who remain under arrest for 30 consecutive days on serious charges, party sources said on Monday. The decision, they added, may soon be formally communicated to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.

Several opposition parties have already made their position clear. The Trinamool Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Aam Aadmi Party have announced they will not join the panel, while the Samajwadi Party has indicated support for a united opposition boycott. Though some parties are yet to disclose their stand, none have expressed readiness to take part in the committee.

Earlier this month, Speaker Om Birla had said that no party had officially informed him of a decision to boycott. “On the issue of JPC, no political party has communicated to me in writing on this subject,” Birla said.

The three Bills — the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirtieth Amendment) Bill, and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill — were introduced in the Lok Sabha by Home Minister Amit Shah on the final day of the Monsoon Session.

The proposals provoked strong protests from the opposition, which argued that the measures were unconstitutional and designed to target leaders in power in non-BJP-ruled states.

The Bills were referred to a JPC comprising 21 members from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha. The panel, however, has not yet been constituted.