New Delhi: Ten opposition members of the parliamentary panel reviewing the Waqf Amendment Bill were suspended for a day following protests against Chairman Jagdambika Pal, whom they accuse of railroading the proceedings. The suspended MPs have written to the Lok Sabha Speaker, demanding a fair hearing.
In their letter, the MPs described feeling “humiliated” and stated they “raised their voice democratically” to be heard. They allege the Chairman spoke on the phone before abruptly ordering their suspension.
“As we all felt humiliated, we stood and raised our voice democratically to hear our demands. Meanwhile, the Chairman spoke in phone with somebody and suddenly and surprisingly, he ordered our suspension with shouting,” the suspended MPs said in the letter to the Speaker.
The opposition members protested the “unilateral and unfair manner” of the JPC’s functioning, claiming due process was ignored. They emphasised the bill’s implications for Waqf Board land holdings nationwide, its connection to High Court and Supreme Court pronouncements, and the challenges to state government statutes, arguing a thorough study is crucial.
“When the meeting started today at 11:00 Am, we the members of the opposition vehemently raised our voice with utmost respect against the way of conducting the business by the chairman. we highlighted the unilateral as well as unfair manner of functioning of JPC by ignoring the due process contemplated in the rules,” they said in the letter.
“… The Amendments proposed in the Bill are not only connected with the huge land banks of the Waqf Boards across the country, but also relevant to the judicial pronouncements of the High Courts/Supreme Court thereon,” they added.
They criticized the Chairman’s handling of proceedings as a “riddle wrapped with hidden malice,” alleging a rush to judgment without proper consideration.
“Statues and rules enacted by various state governments in this regard are also in challenge whereby conflict of interest has arisen thereto. Hence, a comprehensive study is essentially needed by the JPC to address these issues raised by the stakeholders in a holistic manner. In these circumstances, rushing the proceedings of the JPC without application of the mind by the Chairman is nothing but a riddle wrapped with hidden malice,” the MPs said.
The suspended MPs include Kalyan Banerjee, Mohammad Jawed, A Raja, Asaduddin Owaisi, Naseer Hussain, Mohibullah, Mohamed Abdullah, Arvind Sawant, Nadeem-ul Haque, and Imran Masood.
