In letter to Lok Sabha Speaker, Opposition MPs say Jagdambika Pal is ‘bulldozing’ Waqf JPC’s proceedings

While the panel is scheduled to meet on Tuesday, the Opposition members are also expected to meet Birla in the afternoon.

“We, the members of the JPC from Opposition feel that the constitution of JPC, i.e. a mini Parliament, should not be treated as a mere ventilating chamber to get the Bill passed as desired by the government, ignoring the parliamentary process by using the so-called ‘majority’ undemocratically. Hence, it is our duty to bring to your notice with pain that bulldozing the proceedings of the JPC without assigning reasonable and plausible time pause as against the will of the members is nothing but an act of atrocious onslaught on the Constitutional religion and Parliament,” says the letter.

Accusing Pal of taking “unilateral decisions on fixing the dates of sittings even for consecutive three days, where persons/ bodies (are) to be called as witness”, they have said that it is not “practically possible” for them to prepare.

The letter asks the Speaker to direct Pal “to have a formal consultation with members of the committee before taking decisions on these issues, to assure the nation that the committee is fair and free in arriving at conclusions on the Bill, without any bias and departure from the well-established parliamentary procedures”.

“Otherwise, we humbly submit that we may be forced to disassociate with JPC once and for all as we have been stonewalled,” says the letter.

Expressing their reservations on the proposed Bill, the Opposition members have said “the legal exercise done by the government through this Bill is nothing but a surreptitious attempt to mitigate the earlier legislation made by Parliament with due care, which ensure the secular credentials of our Constitution”.

They have underlined that the “deposition of various departments and Muslim organisations” must be “academically as well as legally scrutinised and synchronised after every sitting by the members to understand the discussed issues, which need reasonable time gap between the sittings”.

Saying that more than 100 amendments have been made in the new Bill, “as against the claim of only 44 amendments by the government”, the letter adds: “Of these amendments, we are reasonably confined to express our fear that the religious, spiritual and moral fabric of a legal institution i.e. Waqf Board is going to be erased, which will tarnish our country’s image in the eyes of the world… on minority rights guaranteed in our Constitution”.

For these reasons, the sittings of the committee “must be decided in such a manner with adequate time to discuss and deliberate every clause of the Bill including the legislative competency of Parliament,” it says.

The committee — tasked to scrutinise the Bill to amend the law governing Waqf boards — has witnessed stormy scenes since the first meeting on August 22.

Last month too, Opposition members had written to Birla, alleging that the proceedings were “conducted in a biased and partisan manner” by Pal, and seeking the Speaker’s “immediate intervention”.

Pal has maintained that the Opposition members are given ample opportunities to speak during the meetings.

On October 22, TMC’s Kalyan Banerjee was suspended for a day after he smashed a glass bottle during a heated discussion with BJP member and former Calcutta High Court Judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay. Pal had alleged that Banerjee tried “to hit the Chair” with the bottle.

The Opposition members have raised questions on the deposition of “non-stakeholders”, while the BJP members have alleged “willful disruption” by the Opposition to avoid facing tough questions.