Amid rising tensions over the committee’s proceedings, ten opposition members of the JPC on the Waqf Amendment Bill were suspended for a day on Friday. The suspended members have now written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, alleging misconduct on the part of committee chairman and BJP leader Jagdambika Pal.
Chairman Accused
In their letter, the opposition members accuse Chairman Pal of taking unilateral decisions and not keeping to established parliamentary techniques. They were uncomfortable with the schedule for meetings; according to the original notice, meetings were to take place on January 24 and 25.
According to this arrangement, the members had programmed their constituency visits from January 27 to 30, with the expectation that the session would open on January 31. They suggested postponing the January 27 meeting to which they were accorded a prior notice.
The letter further alleges that during the January 24 meeting, when many members of the assembly communicated their apex complaints with an equitable degree of humility, Chairman Pal did not respond.
Upon being left out of the communication game, the members raised their voices to express displeasure. At this point, Chairman Pal allegedly phoned some unidentified person and called for their suspension in an elevated tone.
Concern with the Proceedings of the Committee
Various JPC members say the JPC should conduct a full study of the issues raised by stakeholders because of the Waqf Amendment Bill. The Chairman’s business, rushing through the proceedings without careful consideration, is notably criticized as “an enigma wrapped with an evil intent.”
The members questioned the chairman’s authority to suspend them, asserting, “We believe that the chairman of the JPC does not have the power to suspend the members of the committee.” They urged Speaker Birla to instruct Chairman Pal to conduct proceedings transparently and fairly. They also demanded the postponement of the January 27 meeting for insufficient time for opposition members to comment according to the parliamentary rules and norms.
Members Suspended
The suspension motion of BJP member Nishikant Dubey was moved against two members of the committee. Trinamool Congress’ Kalyan Banerjee and Nadeem-ul-Haque, Mohammad Jawed, Imran Masood, and Syed Naseer Hussain from the Congress, A Raja and Mohamed Abdullah from DMK, Asaduddin Owaisi from the AIMIM, Mohibullah from the Samajwadi Party, and Arvind Sawant from Shiv Sena-UBT were among the suspended members.
Chairman Responds
After the meeting, Chairman Pal accused Trinamool Congress leader Kalyan Banerjee of using abuse against him. Defending the suspensions, he stated that the conduct by the members was mocking and unseemly enough to warrant disciplinary action.
Backdrop of the Waqf Amendment Bill
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, was introduced in Lok Sabha by Minister of Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju and referred to the JPC on August 7, 2024. This bill seeks to amend the Waqf Act of 1995 to tackle issues concerning the regulation and management of Waqf properties. Given the direct bearing it has on a significant population group in India, the bill has become the focus of debates within the committee.
