BJP MP Jagdambika Pal, heading the parliamentary panel that is considering the proposed Waqf Amendment Bill, strongly disapproved of the public remarks by his fellow panel member Kalyan Banerjee. Speaking to ANI on Monday, Pal maintained that Banerjee, a member of the JPC, should air his views within the panel and not make statements outside it.
Pal’s remarks were reportedly a reaction to a viral video of the Trinamool Congress chief in which Banerjee had allegedly said that any place where Muslims offer namaz would automatically be treated as Waqf property. Reacting to the West Bengal government’s plan to move a motion against the Waqf Bill in the state assembly, Pal termed the move as an “attack” on parliamentary democracy and the tenets of the Constitution.
Pal further asserted that he had taken into account the opinions and concerns of all committee members during discussions. “We have held 29 meetings in the last three months and listened to over 147 delegations. We have given an opportunity to all organizations as per our mandate. If opposition MPs think other voices need to be heard, then boycotting the meeting is not the solution. I have spoken to all opposition members including Sanjay Singh, Kalyan Banerjee, and Asaduddin Owaisi,” he said.
Opposition leaders had stormed out of the JPC meeting on November 27, contending that several state boards had not been consulted and demanded an extension of the committee’s tenure that was due to expire on November 29. Following those deliberations, the tenure has been extended up to the end of the Budget Session beginning on January 31 and ending in March.
The Waqf Amendment Bill is aimed at comprehensive reforms, including digitization of records, stricter audits, more transparency, and even a legal framework for reclaiming the properties “illegally occupied.”
