Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill aims to end country’s democratic era, says Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday (August 20, 2025) condemned the introduction of the Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, 2025 in Parliament, calling it “something that is more than a super-Emergency, a step to end the democratic era of India forever”.

In a social media post, Ms. Banerjee said the Bill trampled upon the basic structure of the Constitution and sought to empower the “Union to intrude upon the mandate of the people, handing sweeping powers to unelected authorities (ED, CBI — whom the Supreme Court has described as ‘caged parrots’) to interfere in the functioning of elected State governments”. She added that the Bill was a step to empower the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister “in a sinister manner at the expense of the basic principles of our Constitution”.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday (August 20, 2025) introduced three Bills in the Lok Sabha, including the Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, which has provisions for the removal of the Prime Minister, Chief Ministers and Ministers if jailed or detained for 30 days for crimes punishable by five years or more. The Bills were sent to the joint committee of the Lok Sabha for examination.

Pointing out that the intent of the Bill was to consolidate a system of “one man, one party, one government”, the Trinamool Congress chairperson said the Bill must be resisted at any cost and democracy must be saved at this moment.

“The Bill strikes at the basic structure of the Constitution — federalism, separation of powers, and judicial review — principles that even Parliament cannot override. If allowed to pass, it will be a death warrant for constitutional governance in India. We must resist this dangerous overreach. Our Constitution is not the property of those in temporary seats of power. It belongs to the people of India,” Ms. Banerjee said.

She said the Bill was not aimed at any reform but a regression towards a system where the law no longer rests with independent courts but was placed in the hands of vested interests and an attempt to establish a rule where judicial scrutiny was silenced, constitutional safeguards were dismantled and the people’s rights were trampled.

“This is how authoritarian regimes, even fascist ones in history, consolidated power. It reeks of the very mindset that the world once condemned in the darkest chapters of the 20th century,” she added.

Later in the day, Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee said the Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, 2025 would never pass as it required the support of two-third MPs of the House.

Mr. Banerjee, who is the leader of the party in the Lok Sabha, told journalists that the Bill was aimed to divert the attention of the people from SIR (Special Intensive Revision) in Bihar. The Trinamool leader said if the BJP leadership could introduce such a Bill with 240 seats then the apprehensions that they want to change the Constitution was correct.

“Having failed in its attempt to misuse the EC to implement special intensive revision (SIR), the government has now activated another “E” — ED — to bring in laws that target opposition leaders, crush democracy and manipulate the people’s mandate by toppling State governments,” the Diamond Harbour MP said on social media.

Speaking to media persons, Ms. Banerjee said “we will strongly take up the matter of women MPs of Trinamool Congress being assaulted during the proceedings of the Parliament with the Speaker of Lok Sabha.”