10 MPs suspended after ruckus in Waqf Bill panel meet
What's the story
Ten opposition MPs were suspended on Friday after they created a ruckus during the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) meeting on the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024.
The MPs include Kalyan Banerjee, Md Jawaid, A Raja, Asaduddin Owaisi, Nasir Hussain, Mohibullah, M Abdullah, Arvind Sawant, Nadimul Haq, and Imran Masood.
After the meeting, Trinamool Congress MP Banerjee slammed JPC chairman Jagdambika Pal for allegedly ignoring opposition voices.
Banerjee accused Pal of conducting the proceedings in a "jamindari" manner, implying an authoritarian approach.
Accusations
Opposition MPs accuse JPC chairman of ignoring their voices
"We repeatedly requested the meeting to be held on January 30 and 31, but our requests were ignored," Banerjee said.
He also alleged the meeting's subject was changed on their arrival in Delhi and described the proceedings as an "undeclared emergency."
In turn, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey accused the opposition of creating chaos and working against parliamentary democracy.
Dubey said that despite postponing the meeting to accommodate opposition suggestions, they still created a ruckus.
Allegations
Opposition accuses government of rushing Waqf Amendment Bill
The parliamentary committee meeting started with opposition MPs accusing the government of not giving enough time to examine proposed changes in the draft legislation.
They alleged that the BJP was rushing to approve the report ahead of Delhi elections.
Tensions during discussions led to a brief adjournment before resuming with Mirwaiz Umar Farooq's delegation presenting its views.
Trinamool MP Banerjee and Congress MP Naseer Hussain walked out of the meeting, later describing it as a "farce."
History
Previous disruptions in JPC meetings on Waqf Amendment Bill
Notably, this isn't the first time JPC meetings on this bill have been disrupted.
In October last year, a similar meeting witnessed a face-off between Banerjee and BJP MP Abhijit Gangopadhyay.
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024 aims to redress the issues and challenges in regulating and managing Waqf properties. The bill seeks to implement reforms such as legal mechanisms to reclaim illegally occupied properties and improving transparency through better audits and digitization.