“Banerjee should keep his views before us and not give statements outside,” BJP MP Jagdambika Pal said. BJP MP Jagdambika Pal, who leads the parliamentary committee on the proposed Waqf Amendment Bill, on Monday lashed out at panel member Kalyan Banerjee for making statements “outside.”
“Kalyan Banerjee is a member of the JPC (joint parliamentary committee) and he should keep his views before us and not give statements outside,” Pal. He was apparently referring to a viral video of the Trinamool Congress leader in which the latter, speaking in Bengali, allegedly says that “any location where Muslims offer namaz would automatically be considered a Waqf property.”
Meanwhile, on the Trinamool-led West Bengal government planning to bring a motion in the state assembly against the Waqf Bill, Pal called it an “attack” on both parliamentary democracy and the “principles of the Constitution.” Further, he stated that he had addressed opinions and concerns of all the members.
“In the last three months, we held 29 meetings, and heard more than 147 delegations. We have given opportunities to all organisations as per our mandate. If the opposition MPs feel more people need to be heard, boycotting the meeting is not the right approach. I have listened to all opposition members, including Sanjay Singh, Kalyan Banerjee, and Asaduddin Owaisi,” the BJP leader said.
Opposition leaders on the panel had walked out of the November 27 JPC meeting, raising concerns that several state boards were yet to be heard. They also demanded extension of the committee’s tenure, which was to expire on November 29.
Subsequently, its tenure was extended till the end of the Budget Session, which will commence on January 31 and conclude in March. The Waqf (Amendment) Bill seeks to introduce sweeping reforms, including digitisation, stricter audits, greater transparency, and legal mechanisms to reclaim “illegally-occupied properties.”
