Fri Jan 24 13:52:13 UTC 2025: ## Opposition MPs Suspended from Waqf Bill Committee Amidst Accusations of Bias

**New Delhi** – Ten opposition members of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) reviewing the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, were suspended for a day on [Date] following protests against the committee chairman, Jagdambika Pal. The suspended MPs, including prominent figures like Kalyan Banerjee and Asaduddin Owaisi, accused Pal of railroading the proceedings and ignoring their concerns.

In a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker [Speaker’s Name], the suspended MPs alleged that their suspension followed a phone call by the chairman and was an abrupt and unjustified response to their raising concerns about the bill’s potential impact. They argued that the bill’s amendments, relating to vast Waqf land holdings and judicial pronouncements, require comprehensive study and consultation with stakeholders, a process they feel the committee is bypassing. They described the chairman’s actions as “a riddle wrapped with hidden malice.”

The suspension occurred on the same day a delegation from Jammu and Kashmir, led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, voiced strong opposition to the bill, expressing concerns about government interference in religious matters. Farooq urged the committee to consider their suggestions and avoid actions that could disempower the Muslim community.

Conversely, BJP member Aparajita Sarangi criticized the opposition members’ conduct, claiming they disrupted the meeting with unparliamentary language and created a ruckus.

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, introduced by Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on August 8, 2024, aims to revise the 1995 Waqf Act. The JPC’s handling of the bill has now become a point of significant political contention.

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