Union Home Minister Amit Shah has come out in strong defense of the 130th Amendment Bill, 2025, which seeks to disqualify prime ministers, chief ministers, and other ministers from holding office if they remain in jail for 30 days or more on serious criminal charges.

Speaking on the podcast, Shah clarified that the provision would only apply to grave offences carrying punishment of five years or above, not to minor or politically motivated allegations. “Where there is a provision of more than 5 years of punishment, the person will have to leave the post. One does not have to leave the post for any petty allegation,” he explained.

Drawing parallels with the Representation of the People Act, Shah pointed out that even under existing law, elected representatives lose membership if convicted for two years or more, though it can be restored if the conviction is stayed. “The membership of many people was terminated and was revived immediately after getting a stay on the sentence,” he said.

Citing the example of former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, Shah argued that such a law would have forced him to resign immediately during his arrest in the liquor policy case. “If this law had been in place, he would have had to resign. When the public started protesting after he came out, he resigned on moral grounds, and made Atishi ji the Chief Minister of Delhi because as soon as he started moving around, the public asked him questions,” Shah said.

On the opposition’s decision to boycott the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) deliberations on the Bill, Shah was dismissive. “The JPC will do its work. The existing people will work. Tomorrow, if the opposition does not cooperate in any work from now till four years, then will the country not run? It does not work like this,” he remarked. He stressed that the government had given the opposition a fair opportunity to present its views, and their absence would only be noted by the public.