NEW DELHI, Oct 14: Several opposition MPs on Monday boycotted a meeting of the joint parliamentary committee examining the Waqf (Amendment) Bill alleging that the panel was not functioning in accordance with rules and regulations.
Opposition MPs including Gaurav Gogoi and Imran Masood of the Congress, A Raja of the DMK, Arvind Sawant of the Shiv Sena (UBT), AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi, Samajwadi Party’s Mohibbullah and Sanjay Singh of the Aam Aadmi Party, stormed out of the meeting and expressed strong sentiments against its proceedings.
“The Joint Committee of Parliament which is examining the Bill, is not functioning in accordance with rules and regulations,” Mr Sawant told reporters. He and some other MPs charged that personal allegations were allowed to be levelled against senior Opposition members like Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge by a person who was deposing before the committee.
The Opposition members held a separate meeting later to decide their next course of action, with a couple of them suggesting that they may approach the Lok Sabha Speaker.
The committee headed by veteran BJP MP Jagdambika Pal, however, continued with its proceedings after the opposition members stormed out of the meeting.
(Manas Dasgupta)