Chaos Erupts in JPC Meeting on Waqf Bill, 10 Opposition MPs Suspended as Marshals Are Called In

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): A dramatic disruption occurred during the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) meeting on the Waqf Bill on Friday, leading to the suspension of 10 opposition MPs including All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi. The chaos escalated to such an extent that marshals had to step in to restore order. BJP member Nishikant Dubey moved a motion to suspend the opposition members which was adopted by the committee. BJP's Aparajita Sarangi condemned the opposition's conduct, calling it "disgusting" as they continued to create a disturbance and used unparliamentary language against the panel.

List of Suspended MPs:

*Asaduddin Owaisi (AIMIM)

*Kalyan Banerjee (Trinamool Congress)

*Nadimul Haque (Trinamool Congress)

*Mohibbullah Nadvi (Samajwadi Party)

*Syed Naseer Hussain (Congress)

*Imran Masood (Congress)

*Mohammad Jawed (Congress)

*Arvind Ganpat Sawant (Shiv Sena-UBT)

*A Raja (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam)

*MM Abdulla (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam)

The JPC meeting began on a stormy note, with opposition members arguing they were not given enough time to review the proposed amendments to the Waqf Bill. Tensions escalated as opposition leaders accused the BJP of rushing the report on the Waqf Amendment Bill in light of the upcoming Delhi elections. The meeting was briefly adjourned due to heated exchanges, after which the Mirwaiz Umar Farooq-led delegation appeared before the committee. During the reconvened session, Trinamool's Kalyan Banerjee and Congress' Naseer Hussain walked out of the meeting, calling the proceedings a "farce." They demanded that the meeting scheduled for January 27 to examine the amendments clause-by-clause be postponed to January 30 or 31.

Waqf Amendment Bill:

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 was referred to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on August 8, 2024 following its introduction in the Lok Sabha by Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju. The bill seeks to amend the Waqf Act of 1995, addressing the challenges of regulating and managing waqf properties.