Several MPs representing opposition parties on Tuesday walked out of a meeting of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Waqf Bill, alleging that BJP members had made derogatory remarks against them.
Kalyan Banerjee, Gaurav Gogoi, A Raja, Mohamed Abdulla, and Arvind Sawant stormed out of the meeting of the parliamentary panel, which was hearing a presentation from representatives of the Ministry of Minority Affairs on the bill.
Later, the members rejoined the meeting after a half-hour "protest" break.
While responding to the allegations of derogatory remarks, members of the ruling party claimed that the opposition members had used "abusive" language against JPC chairman Jagadambika Pal.
This is the second consecutive day in which opposition party members staged a walkout following differences.
Several MPS also walked out of a JPC meeting tasked with examining the Waqf amendment bill on Monday.
The protesting MPs alleged that the committee did not adhere to the rules and regulations and raised serious questions about its functioning.
Among those leading the protest were Congress MPs Gaurav Gogoi and Imran Masood, DMK's A Raja, Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Arvind Sawant, AIMIM's Asaduddin Owaisi, Samajwadi Party's Mohibbullah, and Aam Aadmi Party's Sanjay Singh.
While addressing reporters after the walkout, Sawant alleged that the committee failed to function according to rules and regulations as per parliamentary norms.
He expressed dipleasure over the targeting of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge by some members.
"We have boycotted (the meeting) because the committee is not functioning with the principles and norms of the committee. Ethically and principally, they are wrong," he said.
The Waqf Act of 1995 was enacted to oversee Waqf properties but has been inundated by allegations of mismanagement, corruption, and encroachments for several years.
In response, the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024 aims to implement inclusive reforms, including digitisation, more rigorous audits, increased transparency, and a legal framework to retrieve the occupied properties.
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