New Delhi, Feb 13: The Joint Parliamentary Committee’s (JPC) report on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill formed the basis for a fresh flashpoint between the Treasury and Opposition benches in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, the last day of the first half of the Budget Session.
Chaos broke out in Rajya Sabha, the moment the JPC Waqf report was tabled in the House.
Opposition members created an uproar and engaged in sloganeering against the “high-handedness” of the government, claiming that their dissent notes on the Bill were deleted from the report.
The vociferous protests by the Opposition members also invited the ire of House Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, who initially urged them to maintain decorum and then issued a stern warning for creating chaos while he read out the President’s message.
The JPC report was tabled by BJP member Medha Vishram Kulkarni, a member of the panel.
Notably, the committee submitted its report and observations on the proposed amendments on the Waqf Bill to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on January 30.
Many protesting lawmakers from the Opposition said that the dissent notes by JPC members, apparently the Opposition MPs, were erased and accused the government of “crushing” their views and dissent in an arbitrary fashion.
Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, demanded that the JPC report be taken back unless it includes dissent notes by the Opposition MPs.
He termed the JPC report “anti-constitutional and anti-democratic” and demanded that the dissenting views be included in the JPC report.
“Many members gave their dissent notes. It’s not right to remove these notes and bulldoze our views. This is an anti-democratic move. I condemn this report,” the Congress MP said in the House.
“You have the power to refuse the report,” Kharge also said, making an appeal to the Vice-President.
Kharge’s direct charges, however, were rejected by the Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju who claimed that there was no truth in the allegations as the dissent notes were attached in the report’s appendix.
“These are false allegations. There is no truth in it. There has been no violation of rule,” Rijiju said, while also asking the Opposition MPs not to mislead the House.
Rijiju’s defence, however, failed to convince the Opposition as they continued shouting slogans while raising concerns about the integrity of the report and also its ability to undermine the Waqf Boards.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also weighed in on the controversy and accused the Opposition of misleading the House. She rebuked the Opposition MPs for creating constant din and derailing the proceedings of the House by creating confusion.
Earlier in the day, BJP MP and JPC Chairman Jagdambika Pal told the newsmen that the committee submitted its report after six months of pan-India deliberations with various stakeholders and experts on the subject.
The JPC Chairman had submitted the report to LS Speaker Om Birla himself on January 31. The committee had adopted the draft legislation by 15-11 majority vote.
Even during wide-ranging deliberations of JPC meets, the ruling and Opposition MPs had crossed swords.
BJP members supported amendments, claiming that the impending reforms will bring transparency and accountability in management of Waqf Boards while the Opposition fulminated over the move.
They termed the Bill an attack on the rights of minorities and an unwarranted interference in the functioning of Waqf Boards.
–IANS
