New Delhi, July 19 -- The Union government appears to have backed away from pushing two key pieces of legislation - a bill to automatically remove ministers arrested for 30 days and another to set up a new higher education regulator - following strong reservations from the Opposition and alliance partners alike. The move comes a day after a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) deferred the adoption of the bill concerning arrested ministers. Subsequently, another joint panel cancelled its scheduled meeting to finalise the report on the education regulator bill. A notice issued on Saturday by the joint committee reviewing the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025, stated: "Members are informed that the sitting of the Joint Committee on the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025 scheduled to be held on July 20, 2026 (Monday) from 10am onwards for consideration and adoption of the draft report on the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025, stands cancelled... The date of the next sitting will be intimated in due course." On Friday, the joint committee led by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament (MP) Aparajita Sarangi halted the adoption of the report on the constitutional amendment bill midway through clause-by-clause voting, choosing to defer the matter for further consultations. According to government functionaries who asked not to be named, several opposition parties and key allies, including the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), have raised serious questions regarding the two bills. htc...