'Should chief secretary get PM or CM to sign files from jail': Amit Shah slams Rahul Gandhi for opposing Bill to oust tainted ministers

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday sharpened his attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, questioning why he was opposing the bill to ensure the removal of elected representatives arrested or detained on serious criminal charges from office. Shah was speaking at the inaugural session of the Manorama News Conclave 2025 in Kochi.

“Would the people want the Prime Minister to run the country from jail? Should the chief secretary, DGP, and home secretary go to the jail to get the PM/CM to sign files?" asked the Home Minister, on the bill which was  referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee following a voice vote on Wednesday.

Shah said the framers of the Constitution never anticipated a situation wherein jailed chief ministers would try to run the government from jail. Taking a dig at AAP leader and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Shah said he would have won the elections had he not tried to rule Delhi from jail.

He further attacked Rahul Gandhi, questioning  what had changed for him in the last 15 years between tearing up an ordinance that sought to circumvent a Supreme Court verdict that said that MPs and MLA convicted with a minimum two-year sentence would be immediately disqualified, and opposing the current bill. "Now at an Opposition event, he was seen embracing Laluji (Lalu Prasad Yadav), the very same person for whom the ordinance he had hated was devised," he said.

Shah rubbishes vote theft allegations

The Home Minister also rubbished the ‘vote theft allegations’ raised by Rahul Gandhi. Shah accused the Congress of playing tricks ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections. Questioning why Rahul Gandhi hasn’t gone to the Election Commission, Shah said: “How can the EC respond to what is said on the road?"

From the 11th largest economy to the fourth

Shah also praised how India’s economy went from 11th to fourth under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"During the leadership of Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, India's economy stood at 11th place. The only good thing the Congress government managed in its 10 years was that they did not let it slip to 12th," he said, urging people not to rest till we reach the pinnacle.

"Until we reach the pinnacle and build a great India, no one has the right to rest. When the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav was celebrated, Modi Ji set a goal that during this journey from 75 to 100 years of independence, all 1.4 billion citizens must put in their utmost effort and take the nation to the top in every field in the world," Shah said.

India