No party has written to me about boycotting joint committee of Parliament: LS Speaker Om Birla

Bengaluru: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Saturday said that no political party has written to him about boycotting the joint committee of Parliament to examine the three Bills that seek the removal of top government functionaries arrested for 30 consecutive days on serious charges.

At least four parties -- the Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Aam Aadmi Party -- have declared that they will not be part of the committee, while the Congress is yet to open its cards on the issue.

"On the issue of JPC, no political party has communicated to me in writing on this subject," Birla told reporters in response to a question on opposition parties boycotting the joint committee of Parliament on the three Bills.

On the last day of the Monsoon Session, Home Minister Amit Shah introduced the three Bills in the Lok Sabha - the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill; the Constitution (One Hundred And Thirtieth Amendment) Bill; and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill.

The proposed laws call for the removal of the prime minister, chief ministers, and ministers under arrest for 30 consecutive days on serious charges.

The Lok Sabha Speaker said that he has sought the names of MPs from political parties for being part of the joint committee of Parliament.

"The JPC will be constituted once I receive the names of MPs from political parties," Birla said.

Parliamentary committees work above the political divide and members can freely express themselves in these panels, he said.

The Bills ignited fierce protest from the entire opposition, which claimed they were unconstitutional and aimed at targeting its leaders in power in different states.

Immediately after the Bills were introduced, the home minister urged the Speaker to refer the Bills to a joint committee of Parliament, which will have 21 members from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha, for scrutiny.