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Waqf bill meet: Opposition members suspended from Parliamentary panel
Jan-24-2025

All the 10 Members of Parliament from opposition parties in the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Waqf Amendment Bill, 2024 were suspended for a day after a ruckus broke out in the meeting held today. The suspended Opposition MPs included Kalyan Banerjee, Md. Jawaid, A Raja, Asaduddin Owaisi, Nasir Hussain, Mohibullah, M. Abdullah, Arvind Sawant, Nadimul Haq, Imran Masood. 

BJP member Nishikant Dubey moved the motion for suspending the opposition members which was adopted by the committee. The meeting of the parliamentary committee began a stormy note, with opposition members claiming they were not being given adequate time to study the proposed changes to the draft legislation. Before calling Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the religious head of Kashmir, the members of the committee held discussions among themselves which turned stormy with opposition leaders claiming the BJP was pushing for speedy acceptance of the report on the Waqf Amendment Bill with an eye on the Delhi elections. The heated arguments during the meeting led to a brief adjournment of the proceedings. The Mirwaiz-led delegation appeared before the Committee after it reconvened. 

Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee and Congress member Naseer Hussain stormed out of the meeting and charged the committee of becoming a ‘farce’ in front of reporters. TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee alleged that it was like an undeclared emergency during the meeting as the chairman of panel didn't listen to anyone. The opposition demanded that the meeting scheduled for January 27 for examining the proposed amendments clause-by-clause be deferred to January 30 or January 31.

After holding a meeting on Tuesday in Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow, Jagdambika Pal, Chairman of the JPC had stated that it will be the last meeting of the JPC and after this, they will present its report in the Parliament during the budget session, scheduled for January 31. The panel is expected to submit its 500-page report in the forthcoming Budget Session 2025. 

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, was referred to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on August 8, 2024 following its introduction in the Lok Sabha by Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju. The bill aims to amend the Waqf Act, 1995, to address issues and challenges in regulating and managing waqf properties.


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