Waqf JPC tenure extended due to logjam in parliament | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Amid an Opposition uproar in Lok Sabha on Thursday, the House of Representatives extended the tenure of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Waqf (Amendment Bill) till the last day of the Budget session next year. The bill was earlier listed by the government for discussion and approval during the ongoing winter session of Parliament.
Barring the extension of the JPC’s tenure, the proceedings of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha almost spiraled out of control for the third day with opposition members demanding suspension of proceedings to allege corruption allegations against the Adani group, to discuss the violence in UP’s Sambhal and the ongoing ethnic conflicts. struggle in Manipur.
The House of Commons first adjourned for an hour shortly after the meeting, and later at 12 noon the Speaker adjourned it for a day, after the extension of the JPC’s term of office was approved by voice vote.
The JPC, led by BJP’s Jagdambika Pal, had reached a consensus to extend its tenure from November 29 to the last day of the budget session after Opposition MPs walked out of the committee meeting on Wednesday when Pal had said that the report of the panel was ready for tabling in Parliament. While the BJP has said the changes proposed in the bill will bring transparency and accountability in the functioning of Waqf boards, opposition parties have said they target the Muslim community and violate its religious rights.
As the uproar in Lok Sabha continued, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju criticized the opposition members for not allowing the House of Representatives to do business despite the fact that the government cooperated with them in extending the JPC’s tenure and agreed to to have discussions on other issues. “I condemn the efforts of Congress and its allies to disrupt the proceedings in the House of Representatives,” he said.
In Rajya Sabha, Opposition MPs, including from Congress and CPM, had filed 16 notices for adjournment of scheduled matters under Article 267, but Speaker Jagdeep Dhankhar rejected all of them. The Lok Sabha Speaker also rejected all requests for adjournment from the Opposition.
“Parliamentary disruption is not a cure, it is a disease. It weakens our base. It relegates Parliament to irrelevance. The sanctity of this House requires debate, not disagreement; dialogue, not disruption,” Dhankhar said. Facing vociferous opposition, in no mood to yield, he adjourned Rajya Sabha first till 12 noon, and then for that day.