TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee was suspended for one day from the parliamentary committee on Waqf due to unruly conduct, sources said on Tuesday. A meeting of the Joint Committee on Waqf Bill turned dramatic on Tuesday when Banerjee smashed a glass water bottle and threw it away during a heated exchange of words with BJP’s Abhijit Gangopadhyay.
In the process, Banerjee hurt his thumb and index finger and had to be given first aid. He was later seen being escorted back to the meeting room by AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi and AAP leader Sanjay Singh. The TMC member was also offered soup by the officials.
The parliamentary committee, chaired by BJP’s Jagdambika Pal, was hearing the views of a group of retired judges and lawyers when opposition members, including TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee, questioned what was their stake in the bill.
The Joint Committee of Parliament on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 on Tuesday held a meeting at the Parliament Annexe building in New Delhi. In Tuesday’s meeting, the committee was hearing views and suggestions from Odisha’s Cuttack-based representatives of Justice in Reality and Panchasakha Prachar.
A five-MP delegation of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) also presented their perspectives on the Waqf bill. On Monday, the committee invited Ministry of Minority Affairs officials to provide oral evidence regarding the bill.
Amid strong disapproval by the opposition parties, Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju introduced the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, in the Lok Sabha on August 8. NDA allies JD-U, TDP, and the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde supported the Bill.
TDP MP Ganti Harish Madhur said his party will have no problem if the Bill is sent to a parliamentary committee. Accepting the demand of the allies and the opposition parties, the government proposed to send this Bill to the JPC for detailed discussion.
