New Delhi: The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) reviewing the Waqf (Amendment) Bill faced a stormy session on Monday as all Opposition Members of Parliament boycotted the meeting, alleging that the panel was not adhering to rules and regulations. The MPs accused the committee of allowing personal allegations to be made against senior Opposition leaders, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, by a person deposing before the committee.
The Opposition MPs have decided to approach Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to voice their concerns regarding the functioning of the JPC on the Waqf Bill.
Among those who walked out of the meeting were Congress MPs Gaurav Gogoi and Imran Masood, DMK's A. Raja, Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Arvind Sawant, AIMIM's Asaduddin Owaisi, Samajwadi Party's Mohibbullah, and AAP's Sanjay Singh. They expressed strong discontent with how the proceedings were being conducted.
The MPs alleged that Anwar Manippadi, former chairman of the Karnataka State Minorities Commission and Karnataka Minorities Development Corporation, who was presenting before the committee, deviated from discussing the Waqf Bill. They claimed he made baseless allegations against the Karnataka government and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, which they argued were irrelevant to the Bill and inappropriate for the committee’s forum.
"We have boycotted because the committee is not functioning in accordance with the principles and norms. Ethically and procedurally, they are wrong. It is not following rules and regulations,” said Arvind Sawant, expressing the collective frustration of the Opposition MPs.
The Opposition is expected to push for further action and clarification from the Lok Sabha Speaker regarding the alleged procedural violations.
