NEW DELHI: After two key members of the opposition bloc, Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Samajwadi Party (SP), opted out of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) formed to examine three contentious bills concerning the removal of the Prime Minister and Chief Ministers, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has also announced it will follow suit.

AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh on Sunday confirmed the decision, asserting that the proposed legislation has nothing to do with tackling corruption and everything to do with political manipulation and suppression of the opposition. He further alleged that the purpose of the bills is to jail opposition leaders on fabricated charges and destabilise elected governments.

Calling the bills unconstitutional and undemocratic, Singh said in a video message:

“The real objective of this Bill is not to fight corruption but to topple governments, break parties, indulge in horse-trading, trap opposition leaders in false cases, send them to jail and force their resignations. This Bill is being brought with the intent of destroying democracy. Therefore, AAP and Arvind Kejriwal have decided that we will not participate in the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) being set up by the government.”

On Saturday, the TMC announced that it would not nominate any member to the JPC tasked with reviewing the Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, describing the panel as a “farce.” A senior SP source also indicated that the party is unlikely to nominate any representatives to the committee.