JPC report on Waqf bill: Jagdambika Pal slams opposition members over walkout from LS

New Delhi: Jagdambika Pal, the chairman of the joint parliamentary committee on Waqf (Amendment) Bill, on Thursday hit out at the opposition members over their walkout from the Lok Sabha on the panel’s report, calling it an “attack” on the country’s parliamentary democracy and traditions.

After the report of the committee on Waqf (Amendment) Bill was tabled in Parliament, the opposition party members alleged that the dissent notes of the panel members were deleted in the report and staged a walk out in protest in both Houses of Parliament.

Slamming the opposition members for staging a walk out in the Lok sabha, Pal said it was an attack on the “parliamentary decoram, traditions and parliamentary democracy”.

The opposition members staged a walk out in the Lok Sabha even though Union Home Minister Amit Shah proposed to add more in the members’ dissent note and Speaker Om Birla asserted that it will be done, he told PTI in the Parliament House complex, wondering against whom they staged a walkout in the House then.

“When the opposition did that despite the Speaker’s decision (ruling), then they did it against the Speaker,” he charged, adding, “Perhaps they started a new black chapter in the country’s parliamentary democracy…Country will condemn it.” As many as 281 pages of dissent notes were there in the report, the JPC chairman said.

Asserting the BJP has no objection to the opposition's dissent notes being included without redaction, Shah asked the speaker to decide according to procedures.

When panel chairman Jagdambika Pal rose to table the report, the opposition members shouted slogans which were countered by thumping of benches by the treasury side. The opposition members then staged a walkout, raising slogans against Pal.

Amid noisy protests by the opposition, Shah said, "Some opposition members have objected to their dissent notes not annexed fully. I wish to request you on behalf of my party that whatever their objections you can attach the same to the report as per parliamentary practice as you feel appropriate." "My party has no objection to it," he added. PTI PK AS AS