The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Tejasvi Surya has made serious allegations against opposition members, accusing them of threatening Jagdambika Pal, the chairperson of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), on the Waqf Amendment Bill. The claim centers around a heated meeting where, according to Surya, opposition MPs also threatened a witness.
According to a reports, Surya wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, detailing the events that took place on October 14 during the JPC meeting. He alleged that opposition MPs displayed “unparliamentary behavior” while the committee was listening to the testimony of Anwar Manipaddy, a former chairperson of the Karnataka State Minorities Commission. Manipaddy had been called to testify regarding a reported scam involving Waqf land in Karnataka.
During the deposition, Manipaddy discussed a report he had submitted in 2012, which, according to Surya, exposed large-scale encroachment or sale of approximately 2,000 acres of Waqf land. The land, valued at around Rs 2 lakh crore, was allegedly sold to private entities, implicating several leaders of the Indian National Congress.
Opposition’s Counter-Claims
On the other hand, opposition MPs have a different narrative. In a letter to Speaker Om Birla, at least 12 opposition members accused Jagdambika Pal of conducting the JPC proceedings in a “biased and partisan manner.” The opposition members claimed there had been a “gross violation of parliamentary code of conduct” during the meeting. Their letter called out the chairperson for allowing the proceedings to take place in a manner they described as unfair and skewed.
Disruption Of Proceedings
Surya’s letter to the Speaker went on to claim that the opposition MPs not only disrupted the proceedings but also verbally and physically threatened both the chairperson and the witness. He alleged that the MPs approached the chairperson’s seat, snatched papers, tore documents, and made threatening gestures, all of which disrupted the flow of the meeting.
“Opposition MPs behaved in a manner that showed complete disregard for parliamentary decorum,” Surya stated. He further noted that the disruption ended with opposition members walking out of the meeting, making derogatory comments about the other committee members as they exited.
Call for Disciplinary Action
In his letter, Tejasvi Surya urged Speaker Om Birla to take strict action against the opposition members involved. He requested that they be instructed to follow the Rules of Conduct and Parliamentary Etiquette and demanded disciplinary measures for their unruly behavior during the JPC meeting.
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