Waqf Amendment Bill: 10 Opposition MP's suspended from JPC
Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill is to submit its report during the budget session of Parliament
By Newsmeter Network Published on 24 Jan 2025 7:41 PM IST
New Delhi: MP's Asaduddin Owaisi, Imraan Masood and Kalyan Banerjee along with others suspended from Joint Parliamentary Committee of Waqf Amendment Bill meetings
New Delhi: Ten Opposition member of Parliament were suspended from the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) meeting on Waqf Amendment Bill 2024, after a ruckus broke out.
On Friday, during the meeting there was a discussion which led to arguments.
10 MP's suspended
The suspended Opposition MPs were Kalyan Banerjee (TMC), Md. Jawed (Congress), A Raja (DMK), Asaduddin Owaisi (AIMIM), Nasir Hussain (Congress), Mohibullah (Samajwadi Party), M. Abdullah (DMK), Arvind Sawant (Shiv Sena (UBT)), Nadeem ul Haq (TMC) and Imran Masood (Congress).
Undeclared emergency
Stroming out of the meeting, MP's said that it is undeclared emergency as the chairman is proceeding with the meeting without listening to anyone of us.
Banerjee said, "JPC is a complete farce. They have changed the agenda and clause discussion. The BJP MP's are not willing to listen to what we have to say."
BJP blames opposition
MP Nishikant Dubey says, " The Opposition MP's are not willing to discuss the clauses. They are creating a ruckus." Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill is to submit its report during the budget session. The term of the committee was extended during the winter session of Parliament.
10 MPs write to speaker
In a letter to the Speaker Om Birla, the 10 MP's have pointed out that detailed discussions are required as the decision on Waqf Bill will affect not only the huge land banks but also the judgements of Supreme Court and High Courts in various states. They say that they want the discussions to be taken up properly and not to rush through it. The 10 MP's have said that the Chairman of the JPC must conduct the meeting in a fair and transparent manner.
Background
The Waqf Act of 1995, enacted to regulate Waqf properties, has long been criticised for issues such as mismanagement, corruption, and encroachments. Notably, the budget session of Parliament will commence on January 31 and continue till April 4, with the union budget to be presented on February 1.
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, aims to address these challenges by introducing reforms such as digitisation, enhanced audits, improved transparency, and legal mechanisms to reclaim illegally occupied properties.
