Waqf Bill JPC meeting: 10 opposition MPs, including Owaisi suspended

he Waqf Act of 1995 was enacted to regulate Waqf properties

Ten  Opposition MPs on Friday were suspended from the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) meeting on Waqf Amendment Bill 2024, after a ruckus broke out.

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).

Storming out of the meeting, TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee told PTI, "We repeatedly requested the meeting to be held on January 30, 31 but our requests were not heard. When we landed in Delhi last night... the subject of the meeting was changed. First, we were told the meeting will be held clause wise. What is happening inside is like undeclared Emergency proceeding. They are trying to hurry up things because of Delhi elections... it is politically motivated. The chairman doesn't listen to anyone... it is like 'jamindari'. They don't give any respect to be opposition member. This JPC has become farce."

Meanwhile, reacting to the suspension of the MPs, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey said,  "It is the thinking of the people belonging to the Opposition, especially Owaisi that we have not heard the complete representation from Jammu & Kashmir and called Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. Only to hear him the JPC chairman postponed the meeting to hold clause by clause discussion. Today, the Opposition’s thoughts and views are exposed.”

“They created a ruckus and misbehaved in front of cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq of Muttahida Majlis-e-Ulema, this is against parliamentary democracy. Even if there was a meeting to hold clause-by-clause discussion today and tomorrow, there would have been another meeting on 27th Jan or 28th Jan. A meeting was already determined for 27th Jan,” Dubey further said.

He accused the Opposition of trying to “strangle the voice of the majority” and added that the report will be submitted to the speaker on January 29.

Opposition MPs have decided to write to the Lok Sabha speaker about the highhandedness of the JPC committee chairman who they have alleged is only pursuing the BJP agenda.

The report of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) will be submitted during the Parliament’s budget session.

The Waqf Act of 1995 was enacted to regulate Waqf properties and has faced criticism for corruption, encroachments and mismanagement.

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 is aimed at addressing the challenges and bringing reformative changes like legal mechanisms to reclaim illegally occupied properties, improved transparency, enhanced audits and digitisation.