Shashi Tharoor differs with Congress on 130th Amendment Bill
The Congress MP said the bill, which could remove a PM or CM jailed for over 30 days, 'seems reasonable.' However, Priyanka Gandhi's view called it 'draconian'.
Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday (August 20) differed from the Congress’s stand over the Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, 2025, that proposes the removal of the Prime Minister, Chief Ministers, and ministers of state and union territories if they are arrested in a serious case and are jailed for over 30 days.
Tharoor said that the bill “seems reasonable”. His comments stand in sharp contrast to Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi’s stand on the bill as she has dubbed it “draconian and unconstitutional.”
‘Seems reasonable’
Despite admitting that he does not know much about the Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, 2025, Tharoor said that anyone who commits an illegal act should be liable for punishment and not holding a constitutional post.
“As far as I am concerned, I don't know those Bills well enough to give you a comment. On the face of it, it seems reasonable that anyone who does anything wrong should be liable to punishment and should not be holding a high constitutional office or a political office,” said Tharoor as quoted by ANI.
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Priyanka calls Bill draconian
His comments come hours after Priyanka Gandhi slammed the Centre over the bill, saying that if it was being touted as an “anti-corruption measure”, then it was just a ploy to mislead the people.
“I see it as a completely draconian thing, as it goes against everything. To say it as an anti-corruption measure is just to pull a veil across the eyes of the people," said Priyanka as quoted by ANI.
Elaborating further, the Wayanad MP said that a case can be filed against a Chief Minister, and he could be arrested and put in jail for 30 days without conviction, following which he would be removed from the post.
Also Read: Shashi Tharoor praises astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla over his ISS mission
The backdrop
Tharoor's remarks come a day after he took a veiled dig at the Opposition, saying that they were not interested in taking part in a special discussion in Parliament on Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla. Later, Union Ministers echoed similar views.
Tharoor’s ties with the Congress have become frosty ever since he joined the group of dissenters in the party called the G-23, who questioned the leadership of the Gandhi family. He has also raised eyebrows in Congress by praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s actions following Operation Sindoor.