Opposition MPs stage protest outside Parliament, accuse BJP-led NDA of 'misusing' probe agencies

Opposition MPs stage protest outside Parliament, accuse BJP-led NDA of 'misusing' probe agencies

Opposition INDIA bloc MPs staged a protest in the Parliament premises in New Delhi on Monday (Jul 1) against the alleged misuse of probe agencies by the government to "target" them.

Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi alongside several leaders of the INDIA bloc, including those from the TMC and AAP, participated in the protest on the steps leading to the Makar Dwar in Parliament.

As power reports, they carried placards which read "Stop misusing agencies to silence opposition" and "BJP mein jao bhrashtachar ka licence pao (Join the BJP and get a licence for corruption)". Some AAP leaders also displayed posters of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal standing behind bars.

This comes as three new criminal laws replacing British-era laws come into effect in India on Monday. These new laws, as per reports, take into account some current social realities and modern-day crimes.

With the opposition slamming the ruling government over what they say is NDA's "bulldozer justice," the second week of the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha is expected to see a fiery, chaotic start.

India's new criminal laws

Named the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA), these laws have replaced the British-era Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act, respectively.

Also read | Delhi Police ready to implement new criminal laws which come into effect on July 1

Opposition slams NDA-BJP

The opposition has slammed the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led NDA Alliance and said that it was another case of "bulldozing" existing laws and that "90-99 per cent of the so-called new laws are a cut, copy and paste job".

In a post on X, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said that "90-99 per cent of the so-called new laws are a cut, copy and paste job. A task that could have been completed with a few amendments to the existing three laws has been turned into a wasteful exercise."

×  

"Yes, there are a few improvements in the new laws and we have welcomed them. They could have been introduced as amendments. On the other hand, there are several retrograde provisions. Some changes are prima facie unconstitutional."

Also read | NIA arrests Hizb-ut-Tahrir members, seizes extremist materials in Tamil Nadu raids

"It is another case of bulldozing three existing laws and replacing them with three new bills without adequate discussion and debate," he added.

Meanwhile, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, in a statement, claimed that the three new criminal laws were passed "forcibly" after suspending 146 MPs in the last Lok Sabha.

He asserted that the opposition INDIA bloc will not let the NDA's "bulldozer justice" prevail in the country's parliamentary system.

(With inputs from agencies)