Opposition MPs on the parliamentary committee reviewing the Waqf (Amendment) Bill are set to meet Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday to protest against the committee’s chair, Jagdambika Pal. They accuse him of making “unilateral” decisions and attempting to “bulldoze” the proceedings, indicating they may disassociate from the panel.
The MPs claim they have been “stonewalled” during committee sessions and have outlined their grievances, including objections to the proposed law, in a letter addressed to Birla.
Opposition sources told news agency PTI that a joint letter, signed by several MPs including Congress’s Mohammad Jawed and Imran Masood, DMK’s Raja, AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi, AAP’s Sanjay Singh, and TMC’s Kalyan Banerjee, will be submitted to the Speaker on Tuesday.
The MPs allege that Pal, a four-term BJP MP, has made unilateral decisions regarding the scheduling of meetings and the selection of witnesses, stating that the pace of the meetings—sometimes spanning three consecutive days—makes it impractical for MPs to prepare adequately for interactions with depositors.
The committee’s work has been disrupted by frequent protests from opposition members, while BJP members accuse them of deliberately obstructing progress. With the Bill taking on significant political implications, both the ruling BJP and the opposition INDIA bloc remain firmly opposed to each other’s positions, turning the panel’s meetings into a political battleground as it aims to meet the deadline for the winter session of Parliament.
In their joint letter, opposition MPs will request Birla to instruct Pal to consult committee members formally before making any decisions, to ensure the committee operates fairly and without bias. They warn that if these conditions are not met, they may have to disassociate from the committee entirely due to being stonewalled.
Opposition MPs assert that the joint committee examining the Bill functions like a mini Parliament and should not be treated merely as a “ventilating chamber” for government-favoured legislation, bypassing due process. They contend that denying reasonable time for deliberation is an “atrocious onslaught” on constitutional norms.
The MPs have expressed strong reservations about the Bill, claiming it represents a covert attempt to undermine previous legislation from 1995 and 2013 that safeguarded the secular principles of the Constitution. They argue that the proposed amendments exceed the government’s claim of 44 changes, with more than 100 modifications proposed.
They fear that these amendments could erase the religious, spiritual, and moral foundations of the Waqf Board, potentially damaging the country’s image regarding minority rights.
Pal has denied the allegations, stating that he has ensured all members have the opportunity to voice their opinions. Opposition members previously wrote to the Speaker to highlight what they termed “gross violations” of rules in the committee’s functioning.
Tensions escalated during a recent meeting when TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee allegedly threw a glass bottle toward Pal, injuring his own fingers in the process.
On Monday, various Muslim organizations, including Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, appeared before the committee to express their views on the Bill. While Jamaat-e-Islami Hind opposed the amendments, other groups, such as the Muslim Women Intellectual Group and Vishwa Shanti Parishad, expressed support for the changes.