New Delhi, Feb 13, 2025 –
The Parliament Budget Session On Thursday witnessed unrest due to the Opposition staging vigorous protests against accepting the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) report on the Waqf Amendment Bill. Speaker Jagdeep Dhankhar had to step in multiple times during the proceedings, but his calls for normalcy were unsuccessful, leading to all the sessions being adjourned.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge was very vocal in his criticism of the JPC report, stating that the reports had completely omitted opposing viewpoints, which he called scandalous. “We will not condone these bogus reports. This is anti-democratic. It is not right to remove those notes and bulldoze our views,” Kharge went on to further say that it should be set aside and redone.
The Rajya Sabha had to be adjourned for 10 minutes following fierce sloganeering from Opposition members, but Parliament resumed shortly after. An identical situation occurred in the Lok Sabha, which resulted in all the sessions being adjourned till 2 PM.
Jagadambika Pal, JPC Chairman and BJP MP, spoke in support of the report saying that the committee put in a lot of effort over the last six months. “Some members have raised certain objections, but their dissent notes are also in the appendix,” Pal said. “We have adopted twenty-five amendments to fourteen clauses after touring the whole nation and consulting stakeholders,” Pal elaborated.
Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi also questioned the government’s handling of the bill, asserting that discussions in Parliament would reveal its lack of preparedness.
The Waqf Amendment Bill remains a contentious issue, with the Opposition alleging procedural irregularities in the JPC’s report. As both Houses continue their budget session, further debates and disruptions over the bill are expected.
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