The affair in contention for the attention of everyone was when TMC member Kalyan Banerjee broke a glass water bottle during a hasty debate with BJP member Abhijit Gangopadhyay during the proceedings of the JPC meeting on Waqf (Amendment) Bill on Tuesday. According to PTI reports, while aborting the attempt, Banerjee hurt himself and had to get eight stitches on his thumb and index finger.
The clash happened during a grilling session of the JPC presided by BJP MP Jagdamaika Pal, with the JPC listening to a group of retired judges and lawyers. Members of the opposition especially Mamata Banerjee asked questions on the relevance of legal experts in matters concerning the bill and the two exchanged hot words for some time.
When the relationship between Banerjee and Bipin got aggressive, Banerjee hit a bottle kept on a table. AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi and AAP leader Sanjay Singh had accompanied Banerjee out of the meeting for first aid. The meeting was later on brought to a halt by the protest.
Waqf means a property or a piece of land which is donated for religious or charitable purpose: The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2023 introduced in the Parliament is related to laws that concern the management of the Waqf properties. The amendments, according to the opposition members, would concentrate power as the Centre could directly monitor the functioning of the Waqf boards and their administration of the religious properties in the states. They also voiced their fears about the status of minority, especially Muslim, and independence of state Waqf boards.
The cabinet denounced doubts raised by opposition leaders focusing on the participation of the judges and lawyers in the talks saying it would infringe the rights of the minority communities. This was evident with regards to Banerjee’s outburst against the law and concerns that surround the legislation are still very contentious.
Critics have been still concerned about political and legal implications of the bill especially on the autonomy of the local Waqf asset management.
