Kharge opposes Waqf JPC report over deletion of dissent notes; Govt says, “Opposition misleading House”
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — A major uproar erupted in both houses of Parliament on Thursday before the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on Waqf (Amendment) bill tabled its report.
The Lok Saha was adjourned till 2 pm amid opposition sloganeering against the report while Rajya Sabha also witnessed heated exchanges and was adjourned for 10 minutes and convened again with both sides engaging in discussion on the bill.
Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, called the report “unconstitutional” and “fake.” He claimed that multiple members had submitted dissent notes, but the majority view was forced through without due consideration.
“The JPC report on Waqf had dissenting views from several members, but they were bulldozed. This is not right. It is condemnable and an anti-democratic act,” Kharge stated.
Expressing “shock,” he said, “The dissenting views were deleted, and the report is being tabled. I condemn this, and the House will never accept this fake report.”
He demanded that if dissenting views were excluded, the report should be withdrawn and reviewed again. He urged Leader of the House J.P. Nadda to take back the “unconstitutional” JPC report.
However, Leader of the House J.P. Nadda also condemned the Opposition for creating a ruckus during the reading of the President’s note.
Following the uproar, Nadda hit back at the Opposition, slamming their conduct. “Debates and discussions are necessary in Parliament. In a democracy, we agree to disagree. But we must uphold traditions and conduct proceedings in a constitutional manner,” he asserted.
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju also targeted the Opposition, accusing them of “misleading” the issue. He stated that no part of the report had been deleted or altered.
“Some of the concerns raised by the Opposition were verified, and I found that no section of the report was removed. Everything has been tabled before the House. On what basis are these allegations being made? Do not mislead the issue,” Rijiju said, dismissing the claims as false.
Jagdambika Pal, BJP MP and Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, had earlier said that the committee was presenting its report after months of consultations.
Despite this, opposition leaders continued to express their objections. Trinamool Congress MPs Kalyan Banerjee and Md Nadimul Haque, both JPC members, accused the committee of expunging key portions of their dissent notes from the final report. — With inputs from agencies
