Once more, chaos erupted during the Tuesday meeting of the Waqf bill Joint Parliamentary Committee. At this meeting, there was a heated confrontation between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Trinamool Congress members. Following an altercation at the meeting, it was paused briefly.
Sources report that TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee grabbed a glass water bottle from the table, struck it against the surface, and inadvertently harmed himself. First aid was administered to him. Later, Asaduddin Owaisi, the leader of AIMIM, and Sanjay Singh, a member of AAP, were noticed escorting him back to the conference room. Since action has been taken against him, he will be unable to attend the upcoming JPC meeting.
The Waqf Bill introduced by the government in August is under investigation by the Joint Parliamentary Committee in the Lok Sabha. Jagdambika Pal from the Bharatiya Janata Party leads this committee. During the incident, the committee was hearing the viewpoint of a panel of judges and lawyers. At that moment, Kalyan Banerjee abruptly rose to his feet and began to talk. Abhijit Gangopadhyay, a BJP leader, vehemently opposed him speaking.
Media reports stated that the TMC MP resorted to using abusive language towards Abhijit Gangopadhyay after he objected. Following that, filled with rage, he grabbed a bottle made of glass and forcefully smashed it onto the table, resulting in his injury.
The JPC gathering for the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 took place at the Annexe Building of Parliament House in Delhi. The goal of the committee, led by BJP MP Jagdambika Pal, is to revise the Waqf Act in order to guarantee that waqf properties serve the community’s interests.
During the meeting today, the committee heard the opinions and recommendations from the representatives of Justice in Reality and Panchasakha Prachar, who were present in Cuttack, Odisha. A group of five MPs from the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) will also share their opinions on the bill.
Opposition members claimed that the government’s motivation for introducing the bill was political, and they argue that it specifically targets the Muslim community. Asaduddin Owaisi, leader of AIMIM, spoke critically about the bill for approximately an hour and also raised concerns. Trinamool Congress leader Kalyan Banerjee also inquired if the state has officially acknowledged the Waqf operating under the name of Allah.