Delhi govt nominee to present views before parliamentary panel on Waqf Bill

A day after protests by Opposition members stalled proceedings of the joint Parliamentary panel on Waqf Bill over the presentation of the Delhi Waqf Board official, the panel on October 29 agreed to hear the views of the Delhi government.

The assurance by committee chairman Jagdambika Pal came after hour-long protests by Opposition members Sanjay Singh, Mohamed Abdulla and Asaduddin Owaisi over the presentation by Delhi Waqf Board administrator Ashwini Kumar, which Delhi Chief Minister Atishi said was not approved by her.

The issue had stalled the proceedings of the committee on October 28 and Kumar was asked to present the views of the Board after an opinion on the issue was sought from Lok Sabha Secretary-General Utpal Kumar Singh.

The Opposition also questioned the appointment of a non-Muslim person as the administrator of the Delhi Waqf Board, contending that the law did not permit it.

A BJP member countered by saying that non-Muslims have been appointed to the posts earlier as well.

The three members then trooped to the centre of the hall and raised slogans for nearly an hour before the chairman relented and agreed to hear the Delhi Government version on the issue through its representative.

Trinamool member Kalyan Banerjee, who was suspended from the committee for one day for unruly behaviour last week, was present at the meeting on Tuesday for a brief period.

Meanwhile, Banerjee broke his silence on last week’s fracas, when he had injured his hand after breaking a water bottle while arguing with BJP MP Abhijit Gangopadhyay.

The TMC MP said that he reacted in anger as Gangopadhyay had verbally abused his family.

He also accused committee chairman and BJP MP Jagdambika Pal of going soft on Gangopadhyay.

Banerjee said that he had smashed the bottle in frustration as Gangopadhyay repeatedly abused him and his family.

The TMC MP said that he had only intervened during an argument between Gangopadhyay and Congress MP Naseer Hussain.

The chairman, he said, who was not there during the altercation between him and Gangopadhyay, later came but was soft towards his fellow party member, and was harsh on him.