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Waqf Bill Panel Meet: TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee Smashes Glass Bottle during a Heated Argument with BJP MP Abhijt Gangopadhyay; Suspended from next JPC Meeting
Trinamool MP Kalyan Banerjee on Tuesday injured his hand after smashing a glass water bottle during a contentious Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) meeting on the Waqf Bill. The incident reportedly occurred during a heated argument between the Sreerampore and BJP MP Abhijit Gangopadhyay. Following the altercation, JPC Chairman Jagdambika Pal suspended Banerjee from the next meeting of the committee.
As reported by India Today, Banerjee accidentally hurt himself as he smashed a glass water bottle on the table, resulting in four stitches. He was later seen returning to the meeting room, accompanied by AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi and AAP leader Sanjay Singh.
Following the confrontation, the JPC Chairman suspended the Sreerampore MP from the next meeting of the committee. The suspension was decided through a vote, with nine members in favor and seven against, reported India Today.
The meeting, held at the Parliament Annexe, was temporarily halted due to the disruption. The committee was discussing the views of retired judges and lawyers when Banerjee attempted to speak out of turn, leading to a clash with Gangopadhyay. Tensions escalated when Banerjee reportedly used unparliamentary language, igniting a verbal confrontation.
The recently conducted JPC meetings have been marked by similar conflicts between BJP and opposition members. Just last week, Banerjee was involved in another heated exchange with BJP MPs Nishikant Dubey, Dilip Saikia, and Abhijit Gangopadhyay. The opposition has accused the BJP members of using offensive language, resulting in their walkout from the meeting.
Opposition leaders have also alleged that Jagdambika Pal has not been adhering to parliamentary rules and has failed to address the conduct of BJP MPs. In contrast, BJP leader Tejasvi Surya has accused some opposition members of threatening the JPC chairperson and even tearing up documents during discussions.
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, which seeks to limit the powers of Waqf boards in designating properties as "waqf property," was introduced in Parliament on July 28. Following strong opposition objections, the bill was referred to the JPC on August 8 for further scrutiny.
