Opposition MP criticizes Deletion of Dissent Notes in Waqf Bill Report

Strong Opposition to Deletion of Key Portions

Opposition MPs Kalyan Banerjee (Lok Sabha) and Mohammed Nadimul Haque (Rajya Sabha) have strongly opposed the deletion of key portions of their dissent notes submitted to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024. In a letter addressed to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, the MPs alleged that their objections were arbitrarily deleted without any prior notice or explanation. "We are disappointed and surprised that the Speaker has deleted the following objectives and dissent notes without informing us and without our consent," the MPs wrote in their letter dated February 3, 2025. "

Ignored the Submissions Made By Opposition Members

The dissent notes submitted after the draft report of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill was approved by 14 members in favour and 11 against, criticizing the proceedings and recommendations of the committee. Banerjee and Haque alleged that the findings of the committee were biased and premeditated. He further claimed that the committee ignored the representatives of stakeholders, statements of witnesses and presentations made by opposition members. "While making the comments and recommendations, not a single stakeholder's representation, witness statements or submissions made by our opposition members were considered," the dissent note read. Banerjee and Haque also criticised procedural lapses and alleged that minutes of meetings were manipulated. "They were formed as per the directions of the Speaker and JPCs do not present the correct picture of the meetings," he said.

Gives the President Right to Remove

Questioning the legality of the expulsion, the MPs argued that none of his remarks were unparliamentary or inappropriate. "If you carefully read the dissent notes submitted by us, you will find that not a single expression or phrase is unparliamentary, irrelevant or otherwise inappropriate which gives removal power to the Speaker. The MPs urged Speaker Om Birla to restore deleted clauses of their dissent notes and ensure their full circulation. "We humbly request you to kindly include the above points in the dissent note and the full dissent note be ordered to be circulated and uploaded," the letter said.