Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi: Congress leader P Chidambaram reiterated his stance on Sunday that the drafting of critical bills should have been the responsibility of the Law Commission rather than a committee composed of ‘part-time’ members. His statement followed a rebuke from Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar over Chidambaram’s remarks about the new criminal laws.
In a post on X, Chidambaram pointed out that the Union Home Ministry had established a committee in May 2020 to reform criminal laws, which included a chairman, a convener, and various members. Over time, the composition of this committee changed, ultimately consisting of a convener and five members, most of whom were university professors serving part-time.
“This committee submitted drafts of the three new criminal laws that Parliament eventually passed,” said Chidambaram, a former Union Home Minister. “I maintain that drafting such crucial bills should have been entrusted to the Law Commission and not to a committee whose members served part-time and had other responsibilities.”
His comments came a day after Vice-President Dhankhar criticized him for describing the committee members as “part-timers.” Dhankhar labeled the remark as “inexcusable” and urged Chidambaram to retract what he described as a “derogatory, defamatory, and insulting” observation.
Dhankhar expressed his dismay, stating, “I was shocked beyond words when I read Chidambaram’s interview in a leading national daily where he claimed the new laws were drafted by part-timers.” Speaking at an event in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday, Dhankhar questioned, “Are we part-timers in Parliament? It is an inexcusable insult to the wisdom of Parliament. I do not have words strong enough to condemn such a narrative and an MP being labeled as a part-timer.”
The Vice-President appealed to Chidambaram to withdraw his remarks, saying, “I hope he does it.”
