Morality as universal as Sun, Moon, why is Rahul Gandhi changing his position on it: Amit Shah
NEW DELHI, AUG 25 : Noting that there cannot be any ‘if & buts’ on the issue of morality, as it should be universal like the Sun and the Moon, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday asserted that given recent behaviour of a few political leaders, a need was felt to legally enforce it in public life by disallowing persons from holding constitutional posts of Prime Minister, Chief Ministers and Ministers while being lodged in jail.
Talking to a news agency, the Home Minister also raised questions over Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi’s moral stance, asking whether it has changed after losing three consecutive elections.
Referring to a 2013 incident, Shah said that Rahul Gandhi had ‘torn’ an ordinance brought by the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh-led government to benefit RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav taking a high moral ground and wondered as to why the Congress leader has now been opposing the bills debarring PM, CMs and ministers sticking to the post even after being arrested and jailed.
Accusing the opposition for wanting to “run the government from jail”, Shah said, during former PM Indira Gandhi’s tenure, the opposition is trying to shield the PM and even in the present day, they are trying the same thing. “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. Can a country be run this way, Shah asked.
Then the ordinance was promulgated to give convicted lawmakers a three-month relief to retain their seats, a move that was allegedly brought in after Lalu Prasad Yadavs conviction in the Fodder Scam case. The ordinance effectively negated the Supreme Court’s order on the disqualification of convicted MPs and MLAs and was later withdrawn.
Noting that at the core of the Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, 2025, which seeks the removal of any PM, CM, or Minister, who is detained for 30 consecutive days, is to instill morality in public life, Shah asked if it was “fair” to allow anyone holding these constitutional posts to run the government from jail.
“In this country today, the number of NDA CMs is more. The PM is also from the NDA. So this bill does not apply only to opposition leaders. There is a provision for bail and if the same is granted within 30 days, the law will not come into force. The High Courts and the Supreme Court have the right to grant bail in any case. If bail is not granted, then you will have to leave the post,” the Minister said, while wondering if a CM, a PM or a Minister can run their government from jail? “Is it appropriate for the democracy of the country,” he asked.
The Home Minister also revealed that in the original scheme of things, PM was not covered under the law, but “Modiji himself insisted that PM should also be covered and thus the provision was incorporated”. He said, “Right now, Narendra Modi is there, so there is no question of it. But if the Prime Minister of the country goes to jail, do you think it is right that the Prime Minister or the Chief Minister runs the government from jail? Is there such a belief in this country that the country will not run without the person sitting in the post? Your party has the majority, so someone from your party will come and run the government.”
Recalling his resignation from the post of Gujarat Home Minister, Shah said he did so the very next day the CBI summoned him in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case. He also asserted that he did not hold any constitutional post until he was proved innocent.
Shah had introduced the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirtieth Amendment) Bill, 2025, the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and a bill to amend the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, during the recently concluded monsoon session of Parliament and the same were sent to the joint committee of the Parliament.
-PTI
