THE Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) report on the Waqf Amendment Bill, 2024 was tabled in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday amid demands for its withdrawal and a brief adjournment of the proceedings followed by a heated debate between the treasury and Opposition benches. Opposition MPs led by Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that dissent notes were deleted from the report, a charge denied by Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju. A corrigendum to Appendix 5 of the report was also tabled in the House during the post-lunch sitting, prompting the Opposition to claim that it was done under their pressure. Chapter 5 of the Appendices of the report pertains to “notes/minutes of dissent received from the Members of the Joint Committee”, and contains the notes that were redacted in the earlier tabled report. Shortly after the House met at 11 am, the JPC report was tabled by the BJP’s Medha Vishram Kulkarni, a member of the panel, followed by uproar from the Opposition members.

 

The clamour continued as Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar tried to read out a message from President Droupadi Murmu, forcing a brief adjournment. When the Upper House reconvened at 11.20 am, many Opposition members stood from their seats and some trooped towards the Chairman’s podium, pressing for the report’s withdrawal, even as Dhankhar threatened them with serious action. Chairman Dhankhar named Samirul Islam, Nadimul Haque and M Mohamed Abdulla for creating “chaos and disruption in the House”. Kharge was then called to speak. The Congress chief claimed the dissent notes of Opposition MPs in the report on the Waqf bill were redacted from the report. “The report of the joint committee of Parliament on Waqf... In which several members had given their dissent note has been taken out. Bulldozing the report by only keeping the views of the majority members is not right.

 

It is condemnable, anti-democratic,” he said. Calling it a “fake report”, Kharge said it should be withdrawn and sent back to a committee. DMK’s Tiruchi Siva and AAP’s Sanjay Singh also objected to the alleged removal of dissent notes from the report. Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav quoted rules and said the JPC chairman can expunge words, expressions and phrases from the dissent note if they are inappropriate and unparliamentary. On the other hand, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju denied the Opposition’s allegations and said everything has been kept on the floor of the House and nothing has been removed from the report. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also accused the Opposition parties of misleading the Upper House, prompting another heated exchange between the treasury and the Opposition benches. The Congress’ Syed Nasir Hussain accused Rijiju -- who is also the Union Minority Affairs Minister -- of misleading the House and said, “My own dissent note has been redacted.” Trinamool Congress member Saket Gokhale demanded that Rijiju should respond if any redaction was done in the dissent note. Rijiju reiterated that the report had all annexures and nothing was taken out.

 

The Opposition MPs then staged a walkout. Dhankhar, meanwhile, compared the report on the Waqf Amendment Bill with the Mandal Commission report, and said, “A major change in social justice occurred when the Mandal Commission report was implemented in a way. The Waqf issue is becoming a similar chapter.” However, in the post-lunch sitting, Kulkarni tabled a corrigendum in Appendix 5 of the report, prompting Opposition MPs to say it proved the House was misled by a minister earlier. Thanking The government for the corrigendum, Dhankhar said, “I express my gratitude to the Government because the matter was brought to my notice.” Rajya Sabha adjourns till March 10: Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned and the house will meet again on March 10.