NEW DELHI: The Opposition MPs part of the parliamentary committee on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday to register their protest against the alleged unilateral decisions being taken by the panel chairman and BJP MP Jagdambika Pal. The MPs said the Speaker listened to them patiently and assured them a decision at the earliest.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee said Birla assured them that he will look into their concerns. “It was a very good discussion. He was kind to us. The Speaker has patiently heard us and said he will look into the matter,” Banerjee said.
Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh said the members conveyed their grievances and were assured of a solution.
The Opposition members said they will continue to attend the JPC meetings after the Speaker’s assurance. The MPs also submitted a joint memorandum signed by Congress’ Mohammad Jawed and Imran Masood, DMK’s Raja and and AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi, detailing their concerns. In the letter, the MPs accused Pal of fixing the dates of the sittings without consulting the members and not giving them reasonable pause to scrutinise the submissions made by the witnesses.
They said they would “disassociate” themselves from the panel since they were being “stonewalled”. They also alleged that the chairman would ‘arbitrarily’ call meetings and invite people and organisations who are not stakeholders in this matter to present their views.
The Opposition members said that the legal exercise done by the government through the Bill is a surreptitious attempt to mitigate the earlier legislations made by Parliament, which ensured the secular credentials of the Constitution.
More than 100 amendments are made in the newly drafted Bill as against the claim of only 44 amendments by the government, they said.
However, Pal told the media that he has provided an opportunity for all members to speak. “We provide everyone the opportunity to speak, regardless of whether they are from the government or the Opposition. The government referred the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024 to the JPC to engage with as many stakeholders as possible... I believe that such extensive outreach has never been undertaken by any JPC before. I am committed to providing a complete opportunity for discussion, dedicating my entire day to this effort while the House is in session,” he said.