Shashi Tharoor, walking through a sensitive period in his relationship with the Congress following praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, once again broke ranks from the party position on Wednesday, this time on a bill that seeks to require removal of senior government personnel charged with crimes.
The Constitution (One Hundred And Thirtieth Amendment) Bill 2025, to be tabled in Parliament by Home Minister Amit Shah, provides that any minister from the Prime Minister down to the rank and file who has been arrested and imprisoned for over 30 consecutive days should resign on the 31st day or face removal.
The opposition has taken the bill seriously, and it has been called "draconian" by Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. She stated, "Tomorrow, you can file any case against a chief minister, have him/her arrested for 30 days without conviction. and he ceases to be a chief minister? It is absolutely anti-constitutional."
Tharoor differed, though. In an interview with NDTV, he stated, "If you spend 30 days in jail, can you still be a minister? This is a question of common sense. I don't see anything wrong in this."
Parliament was adjourned early today after the usual opposition protests, and the bill is expected to be sent to a select committee for further scrutiny. On the chance of committee examination, Tharoor said to NDTV, "It is a good thing. I think it is good for our democracy to have a discussion within the committee. so let's have that discussion."
Earlier this week, Tharoor also caused raised eyebrows when it seemed he was criticizing Congress for missing a special parliamentary debate on Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla. His alignment with the Congress has been in doubt since 2021, when he was part of a group of rebels referred to as the G-23 and challenged the Gandhis' leadership—a schism that has stiffened more recently.
The party has been uncomfortable with Tharoor's praise of Prime Minister Modi, particularly after he was chosen to brief 'partner countries' about operations such as Pahalgam and Op Sindoor. Tharoor has admitted there were differences with the Congress leadership and even met Rahul Gandhi, but the meeting did not appear to iron out the matters.
Addressing NDTV in the last month, Tharoor dismissed reports of tension in the party and referred to such cases as "differences of opinion. with only some aspects of leadership." Asked how he would describe his relationship with the Congress at the moment, he underlined his devotion by declaring that he has been dedicated to the party and ideology for the past 16 years.
He has also strongly denied any speculation about joining the BJP, a move that could have significant implications for India’s political landscape. After his remarks praising Modi’s “dynamism,” he clarified, "It is not a sign of my leaping to join the Prime Minister's party. as some people have been implying."
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