'Politically Motivated Allegations Against Kharge': Opposition MPs Walk Out Of Waqf Amendment JPC, Write To Lok Sabha Speaker

For the second consecutive day, several Opposition MPs walked out of the Joint Committee of Parliament meeting on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, accusing BJP members of using offensive language against them.

Meanwhile, ruling party MPs alleged that it was the Opposition who used derogatory remarks towards the panel's chairman, Jagdambika Pal.

After the walkout, the opposition MPs wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla alleging a 'gross violation of the parliamentary code of conduct' and that the proceedings were conducted in a biased and partisan manner.

"The invitation extended to Anwar Manippady to depose evidence before the Committee by the Chairperson is not within the scope and ambit of the Committee," the letter said.

This comes after former chairman of Karnataka State Minorities Commission office-bearer and BJP leader Manippady during his deposition before the panel, made remarks about Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, reportedly related to the allotment of waqf land.

Alleging that Manippady's note was "full of politically motivated allegations," the Opposition MPs also questioned Pal for allowing Manippady to speak and not letting others lodge their protests.

The letter alleged that Pal's decision to allow Manippady to speak goes against rules that do not allow discussion of sub judice matters and say that defamatory allegations cannot be made without advance notice.

"We request your immediate intervention in the matter, and expect you to remind the Chairperson of the Committee of his duty to be bipartisan and uphold parliamentary norms," the letter said.

Opposition MPs protested Kharge’s mention, noting that he is not a member of the committee. The MPs believed that comments directed at the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha should not be permitted.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant, who participated in the walkout, told The Indian Express that the parliamentary committee must function according to established rules and regulations.

"There are certain ethics. If they are not adhered to, we will boycott the proceedings, which is what we did today," he stated, declining to provide further details.

In the past, Opposition MPs have similarly raised concerns, claiming that relevant stakeholders were not being heard and that political agendas were influencing the committee’s proceedings.