New Delhi (India), February 13: A major uproar unfolded in Parliament on Thursday before the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) report on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 was tabled, with Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge leading the charge against the report. He accused the government of removing dissent notes from Opposition members, calling it “anti-democratic” and “condemnable.”
Kharge said, “In the JPC report on the Waqf Board, many members have submitted their dissent report. It is not right to remove those notes and bulldoze our views. This is anti-democratic and condemnable. Stockholders were called from outside, and their statements were taken. I condemn any report that has been presented after deleting the dissent reports. We will never accept such fake reports. If the report does not have dissent views, it should be sent back and presented again.”
The protest in Parliament led to a disruption, with the Lok Sabha being adjourned until 2 pm amid Opposition sloganeering. The Rajya Sabha also witnessed intense exchanges, with Kharge and other Opposition members accusing the government of disregarding the views of dissenting members.
Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha, JP Nadda, countered the protests, calling the Opposition’s actions “irresponsible.” He remarked, “Inside the Parliament, there are debates and discussions on various issues, and within a democracy, we agree to disagree, but we must respect traditions. While keeping traditions in mind, the proceedings of the house should be conducted under the provisions of the Constitution. I regret that despite repeated requests from the Chairman, the opposition’s behaviour has been extremely irresponsible, and it deserves all the condemnation it receives.”
Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar also warned TMC MPs Samirul Islam, Nadimul Haque, and DMK MP Mohammed Abdullah for disrupting the House, stating, “These three gentlemen have created chaos in the house, disrupted the house and I will be constrained to take an extreme step.”
Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav defended the JPC, explaining that the Chairman of the Committee holds the authority to remove irrelevant or unparliamentary portions from the report.
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju also responded to the Opposition’s claims, asserting that there was no deletion or removal of any part of the report. Rijiju stated, “There is no deletion or removal of any part of the report. Everything is tabled on the floor of the House. Don’t mislead the House. I am very pained to say that the Opposition parties are making unnecessary issues by raising issues without facts. The allegation is false. There was no violation of any rules by the JPC. All the dissent notes are also included in the report.”
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 seeks to address long-standing issues related to the Waqf Act of 1995, which has been criticized for mismanagement, corruption, and encroachments on Waqf properties. The amendments propose reforms like digitization, enhanced audits, improved transparency, and legal mechanisms to reclaim illegally occupied properties. However, the Opposition’s concerns over the bill’s process and the removal of dissent notes continue to fuel heated debates in Parliament.