Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday took a dig at the Congress over objections of its leaders to some provisions of new criminal law bills, saying “if mind is of Italy, then it is difficult to understand (these provisions)”. Replying to the debate on the three criminal law bills in the Lok Sabha, he said these are in accordance with the spirit of the Constitution.He made a veiled attack on Congress over foreign origins of party leader Sonia Gandhi “Those who say we do not understand, I said if you keep your mind open, keep it Indian, you will understand, if you keep that of Italy, you will not understand. It is a question of mind, not of language. If the mind belongs to India, you understand immediately, if not, you will never understand,” he said.
Congress members of the standing committee, which examined the three bills, have given dissent notes. Amit Shah said he is feeling a sense of pride for having the opportunity to change the criminal justice laws after a span of 150 years and pilot the bills in the House. Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, 2023, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita, 2023 and the Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Bill, 2023 were later passed by the Lok Sabha. The minister said that justice forms the bedrock of a civilized society.