Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday launched a sharp attack on the Congress and other Opposition parties for resisting three newly introduced bills that seek to disqualify a prime minister, chief minister, or minister if they remain in custody for 30 straight days. He questioned why individuals in such high offices should be allowed to govern from behind bars. Addressing a rally in Gayaji, Bihar, the Prime Minister said, “A government employee loses his job automatically if he is jailed for even 50 hours—whether he is a driver, a clerk, or a peon. Then why should a chief minister, a minister, or even the Prime Minister continue in office while sitting in jail?” He went on to ask whether people with serious charges should be allowed to hold on to power. “Why should governments run from prison cells? Should those facing corruption charges or tainted ministers continue to occupy positions of responsibility? Citizens expect their leaders to uphold moral standards,” he remarked, in what was his first direct response to the controversy surrounding the bills.
The three proposed legislations—the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, 2025; the Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, 2025; and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2025—were tabled in Parliament earlier this week and have now been sent to a Joint Committee for further scrutiny. According to the provisions, if the prime minister, Union ministers, or state chief ministers are arrested and remain in custody for 30 continuous days in connection with an offence carrying a minimum punishment of five years, they would automatically lose their posts on the 31st day.