Delhi Chief Minister Atishi on Monday demanded that a report submitted by the Delhi Waqf Board to a parliamentary panel reviewing the Waqf Amendment Bill be treated as null and void, India Today reported.
The report was submitted by Delhi Waqf Board administrator Ashwini Kumar without the Delhi government’s approval, Atishi told Jagadambika Pal, the chairperson of the joint parliamentary committee.
The committee is examining the Waqf Amendment Bill in the wake of objections from Opposition parties when it was introduced in the Lok Sabha.
Opposition members on Monday walked out of a meeting of the committee after the Delhi government claimed the report was sent without its approval. Among those who walked out in protest were All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi, Congress MP Mohammad Jawed and Samajwadi Party MP Mohibbullah Nadvi, according to The Indian Express.
They claimed that the Delhi Waqf Board administrator made changes to the Delhi government’s presentation without the chief minister’s approval.
However, the Opposition members returned to the meeting after some time, the newspaper reported, citing unidentified sources.
During the previous meeting of the committee on October 22, Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee was suspended for a day after he smashed a glass water bottle and threw it at Jagadambika Pal.
The incident was reportedly triggered by a heated argument between Banerjee and BJP MP Abhijit Gangopadhyay while the panel was hearing the views of two organisations from Odisha – Justice in Reality and Panchasakha Bani Prachar Mandali.
Banerjee was not present at Monday’s meeting, reported The Indian Express.
On October 14 as well, Opposition MPs walked out of a meeting of the committee in protest, claiming that allegations were made targeting Opposition leaders, including Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge.
A waqf is a property donated for a religious, educational or charitable cause by Muslims. In India, waqfs are governed under the Waqf Act. Each state has a Waqf Board led by a legal entity that is vested with the power to acquire, hold and transfer property. The Act was last amended in 2013.
The parliamentary panel had sought written suggestions from the public, experts, non-governmental organisations and institutions, among others, on the draft legislation. It received more than 1.2 crore email responses, both for and against the bill.
Also read: Why Muslim leaders are objecting to new waqf bill