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Study Tour on Waqf Bill Postponed Amid Opposition Boycott

Study tour on Waqf Bill postponed after Opposition boycott, citing unilateral decisions by panel chairperson. [Image via Indian Express]

The study tour of the Joint Committee of Parliament (JCP) on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill was postponed Monday, days after Opposition members of the panel boycotted it.

The tour started on Saturday from Guwahati and covered Bhubaneswar on Sunday. However, it was halted following a notice by the Lok Sabha Secretariat stating that the remaining part of the study tour on the Waqf Bill to Kolkata, Patna and Lucknow (Tuesday-Thursday) was being postponed.

The notice comes on the heels of Opposition members, who are part of the panel, announcing their decision to boycott the study tour on November 7. Among those who boycotted the tour were leaders from the Congress, Samajwadi Party, DMK, AAP, and AIMIM.

The tour, which was scheduled from November 9-14, was planned so that the members would hear views of diverse stakeholders on the matter.

Also See: India’s Waqf Bill 2024: The State’s Assault on Muslim Heritage

While announcing the boycott, TMC’s Kalyan Banerjee had accused the House panel’s chairperson, Jagdambika Pal, of turning the proceedings into a “mockery”.

Congress member Mohammad Jawed had also earlier said, “We are also answerable to people in our constituencies and respective parties. We understand the committee is an important one, but we need time to prepare for tours and meetings.”

Opposition members of the committee had on November 4 written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and threatened to “disassociate” from the panel, accusing Pal of “bulldozing the proceedings” and “stonewalling” them. On November 5, the members met Birla and discussed their issues.

Accusing Pal of taking “unilateral decisions on fixing the dates of sittings even for consecutive three days, where persons/ bodies (are) to be called as witness”, they had said that it is not “practically possible” for them to prepare.

This news is sourced from Indian Express and is intended for informational purposes only.

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