New Delhi (India), January 24: The next meeting of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, is set to take place on January 27, according to officials.
Jagdambika Pal, the JPC Chairman, accused Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kalyan Banerjee of using “unparliamentary” language against him during a recent ruckus in the committee meeting. Pal claimed the meeting had to be adjourned twice due to disruptions by opposition MPs, who were suspended for their behavior. BJP MP Nishikant Dubey moved a motion to suspend the opposition MPs after they resorted to shouting and sloganeering, preventing the meeting from proceeding.
Pal explained that the disruptions were particularly noticeable when a delegation from Jammu and Kashmir, including Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, was invited to speak. Despite the opposition’s request to hear Farooq, Pal accused the opposition MPs of blocking the meeting’s progress through continuous disruptions.
Addressing allegations that the JPC’s agenda had been altered, Pal clarified that the change was made specifically for that day at the opposition’s request to invite Farooq. He also denied claims that the proceedings were rushed ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections, asserting that it was Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju who had urged the Speaker to refer the bill to the JPC, not the opposition.
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, aims to reform the Waqf Act of 1995, which has faced criticism for mismanagement, corruption, and encroachments on Waqf properties. The proposed amendments include digitization, improved audits, greater transparency, and legal measures to reclaim occupied properties.
The JPC is expected to submit its report during the Budget session, which begins on January 31. The Bill’s discussion, initially delayed, is now set for a clause-by-clause review on January 27.