Opposition members will boycott next JPC meeting: Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee

Opposition members of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill and TMC leaders Kalyan Banerjee and Mohammed Nadibul Haque during a press conference in Kolkata, on Thursday (November 7, 2024.).
| Photo Credit: PTI

Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee on Thursday said Opposition members of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) will boycott the next round of meetings set to begin on November 9. He alleged “high-handedness” of JPC chairman Jagdambika Pal about the Waqf Amendment Bill.

In a meeting jointly held by Mr. Banerjee and fellow Trinamool MP Nadimul Haque, the former laid out a series of accusations against the JCP chairman. “From the beginning, our JPC chairman is working whimsically and arbitrarily. He is bulldozing the Opposition and not listening to any Opposition members,” he said.

‘Working on own will’

He further went on to accuse Mr. Pal of working on his own free will and that the process the chairman is using “violates constitutional morality”. Pointing out that the Opposition had given a letter to the Speaker and asked for a meeting, Mr. Banerjee further said: “He agreed orally that it is impossible to tour so much and that there is no need for it.” He also stated that no action has been taken to this accord.

This refers to the newly announced JPC move to tour five cities across India to conduct a study of the Waqf Amendment Bill. The cities being toured are Guwahati, Bhubaneswar, Kolkata, Patna, and Lucknow from November 9-14.

Mr. Banerjee made a strong statement about the tour and said, “Me and all the other leaders in the Opposition are boycotting this tour. The way the chairman is working, that does not serve any interest of the nation. They are working according to their own agenda.”

The Trinamool leader also went on to say that the chairman’s actions have led to the JPC becoming a “laughing stock”. He has said that the next course of action by the Opposition members will be taken jointly. Details about the next course of action remain awaited.