JPC meets stakeholders in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: After holding consultations in Maharashtra, the joint parliamentary committee (JPC) reviewing the Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, 2025, along with the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill and the Government of Union Territories Bill, 2025, met stakeholders here on Wednesday. The committee is chaired by Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi.

“Chaired the 11th sitting of the JPC in Bhubaneswar today. Interacted with five institutions from Odisha. Received useful suggestions. Grateful to all who facilitated our interaction,” Sarangi said.

The Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, introduced in the Lok Sabha in August 2025, proposes automatic removal of Union and state ministers, including the Prime Minister and chief ministers, if they are arrested and remain in detention for 30 consecutive days in serious cases.

Describing the three bills as “sensitive” with long-term implications, Sarangi said their objective is to uphold constitutional morality and decriminalise politics. “We need to ensure a clean and vibrant democracy, free from criminality,” she said.

She said the bills triggered a furore in the Lok Sabha, following which a JPC was constituted on Nov 12, 2025. The 31-member panel held its first meeting on Dec 4, 2025, and has since been conducting stakeholder consultations across the country. “We are engaging with stakeholders in different states and in Delhi, often holding day-long discussions,” she said.