New Delhi: Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kalyan Banerjee was suspended for a day from Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on Waqf bill for his “unruly conduct”.
Kalyan Banerjee, a member of JPC on Waqf Bill, was suspended for a day and two meetings for using “unparliamentary” language and breaking a glass bottle under Lok Sabha Rules 261 and 374(1) (2).
Earlier on Tuesday, there was ruckus and chaos in the JPC meeting on Waqf Bill after Kalyan Banerjee smashed a glass water bottle and hurled it away as he was engaged in a war of words with BJP’s Abhijit Gangopadhyay.
After this the process to suspend Kalyan Banerjee from the JPC began. Opposition members said that the JPC did not have the authority to suspend anyone from the panel. The ruling party claimed that the JPC had this authority. They said suspension can be done through voting, sources said.
Sources pointed out that Opposition members stated that during the JPC meeting both Abhijit and Kalyan traded allegations and rude comments in Bengali. Therefore, it should first be recorded and provided to all members in English or Hindi, and then any action should be taken after discussion, they said.
But members of the ruling party said that all of that is a matter for later; first, Kalyan should be suspended for his behaviour. Discussions regarding conducting a vote were held, sources added.
What exactly happened
As Kalyan Banerjee smashed a glass water bottle during the meeting, he hurt his thumb and index finger and had to be administered first aid. He was later escorted back to the meeting room by AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi and AAP leader Sanjay Singh. The TMC member was also offered soup by the officials, PTI reported.
The committee, chaired by BJP’s Jagdambika Pal, was listening to the views of a group of retired judges and lawyers when the opposition members questioned what was their stake in the bill, the report added.
Sources said Asaduddin Owaisi gave an almost one-hour presentation to the JPC, pointing out “the flaws” in the bill. There were verbal clashes between him and BJP members.
