PM Modi Refuses Special Exemption in New Bill on Ministers’ Disqualification: Kiren Rijiju

New Delhi : Union minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi declined to exempt himself from the scope of the new bills proposing disqualification of ministers, chief ministers and even the prime minister if they face prolonged detention in serious criminal cases.

Rijiju revealed that during Cabinet discussions, a recommendation was made to exclude the prime minister from the ambit of the proposed law. However, Modi rejected the idea, stating that he is also a citizen and should not enjoy special protection.

“The recommendation was to keep the PM out of this bill, but he disagreed. PM Modi said no one should have special exemption. If a minister or CM does something wrong, they must leave their post. Ethics must prevail,” told Rijiju.

The three proposed laws – the Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, the Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill and the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill – mandate that any sitting minister, CM or PM would lose their position if detained or jailed for 30 consecutive days in connection with an offence carrying a minimum sentence of five years.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah introduced the bills in Parliament amid fierce Opposition protests. The uproar led to heated exchanges, with Opposition MPs tearing up papers and flinging them toward the treasury benches. Eventually, the bills were introduced through a voice vote and referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC).

While the government has defended the move as a step towards accountability and ethical governance, the Opposition has criticised it as “draconian” and “unconstitutional,” alleging that the provisions could be misused to target opposition-ruled state leaders through central agencies.