Waqf Board Bill JPC Meeting: Opposition MPs Suspended Amid Chaos
The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) has prepared a 500-page report on the controversial Waqf Bill. The report was scheduled for discussion during a two-day meeting on Friday and Saturday. However, the first day of the meeting witnessed a major commotion among Members of Parliament (MPs), resulting in the suspension of 10 opposition MPs, including Arvind Sawant of the Shiv Sena (Thackeray) faction and AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi. The discussion on the report, intended for submission to the Law Ministry, remains incomplete. The bill is expected to be tabled during this year’s budget session.
What Triggered the Dispute?
BJP MP Jagdambika Pal, who chairs the JPC, explained that a delegation led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq from Jammu and Kashmir was invited to present their views. However, Asaduddin Owaisi, who had previously abstained from parliamentary discussions on the bill, unexpectedly participated in today’s meeting. Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee allegedly used unparliamentary language toward Pal, disregarding repeated appeals to maintain decorum. As the situation escalated, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey proposed the suspension of the unruly MPs.
The suspended MPs include:
- Kalyan Banerjee (TMC)
- Mohammad Javed (Congress)
- A. Raja (DMK)
- Asaduddin Owaisi (AIMIM)
- Naseer Hussain (Congress)
- Mohibullah
- Mohammad Abdullah
- Arvind Sawant (Shiv Sena – Thackeray)
- Nadeem-ul-Haq
- Imran Masood (Congress)
Opposition’s Allegations
The meeting began with protests from opposition MPs, who claimed they were not given sufficient time to review the revised draft of the bill, which included several changes. After his suspension, Congress MP Imran Masood alleged that the government was seeking control over Waqf properties.
Key Details of the Waqf Bill
The Waqf Bill, introduced in the Lok Sabha, proposes 44 amendments. These amendments were set to be discussed in depth during the two-day JPC meeting. According to reports, Waqf Boards in various states collectively owned 35,000 properties in 1950, a number that has since risen to 10 lakh over 75 years. The BJP members in the JPC have alleged that many of these properties were unlawfully occupied by Waqf Boards, prompting the committee to demand a retrospective review of ownership.
Stormy JPC Meetings
This was not the first contentious session for the JPC on the Waqf Bill. Out of 34 meetings held so far, most have been marked by heated debates. During previous discussions, Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee even reportedly broke a bottle in frustration. Opposition members from parties like Congress, DMK, and the Shiv Sena (Thackeray faction) have vehemently opposed the proposed amendments.
The chaos of today’s meeting mirrored previous incidents, delaying the finalization of the bill’s amendments.
