10 Opposition MPs suspended after ruckus at the Waqf Board amendment panel meeting
- In Reports
- 06:36 PM, Jan 24, 2025
- Myind Staff
10 opposition members of the parliamentary panel reviewing the Waqf Amendment Bill were suspended for one day on Friday following ongoing protests and allegations against the panel’s Chairman, Jagdambika Pal, of rushing the proceedings.
The suspended members include Kalyan Banerjee, Mohammad Jawed, A Raja, Asaduddin Owaisi, Naseer Hussain, Mohibullah, Mohamed Abdullah, Arvind Sawant, Nadeem-ul Haque and Imran Masood.
The motion to suspend the opposition members was introduced by BJP member Nishikant Dubey and subsequently adopted by the committee.
BJP member Aparajita Sarangi criticised the behaviour of the opposition members, calling it “disgusting” and accusing them of creating continuous disruption during the meeting. She also alleged that they used "unparliamentary language" against Chairman Pal.
The meeting began on a contentious note, with opposition members arguing they were not given sufficient time to review the proposed amendments to the draft legislation.
Before inviting Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the religious leader of Kashmir, to contribute, committee members held internal discussions. These discussions became heated, with opposition members accusing the BJP of pushing for the swift approval of the Waqf Amendment Bill to influence the upcoming Delhi elections.
During the meeting, heated arguments caused a brief adjournment of the proceedings. After the session resumed, the Mirwaiz-led delegation presented its views before the Committee.
Trinamool MP Kalyan Banerjee and Congress MP Naseer Hussain walked out of the meeting, later telling reporters that the Committee's proceedings had turned into a "farce."
They also demanded that the meeting scheduled for January 27, intended for a detailed clause-by-clause examination of the proposed amendments, be postponed to January 30 or January 31.
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024 was introduced in the Lok Sabha by Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and referred to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on August 8, 2024. The bill seeks to amend the Waqf Act of 1995 to address challenges and issues related to the regulation and management of waqf properties.
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