TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee recently created controversy while attending a Joint Parliamentary Committee meeting on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 that saw him break a glass water bottle after an altercation with BJP’s Abhijit Gangopadhyay. The ugly event happened on Tuesday as stakeholders demonstrated their disagreements with the bill. Banerjee, while slamming the bottle on the table, consequently developed a cut on his thumb and index finger. He had to be treated urgently, and first aid was done quickly. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi and AAP leader Sanjay Singh later helped Banerjee to leave the room for medical reasons.
The meeting was presided over by an incumbent MP from the BJP, Jagdambika Pal, who had been deliberating on the views of a group of retired judges and lawyers on the Waqf Bill. However, opposition members and Mamata Banerjee, in particular, wanted to know from these individuals what interest they have in this bill. Such a line of questioning brought the two to confront when Banerjee exploded.
The session was later barred after the clash and interruption of the proceedings. An eyewitness said that while protesting, Banerjee accidentally pressed the bottle hard against the table to break it. The political rivalry between the opposition and the ruling party on the Waqf Bill came out very clearly during the scuffle.
This emerged last week after another tense JPC and a contentious session where the opposition protested that the input into the bill was flawed. They criticized the government for passing the legislation in haste, saying it was politically motivated and meant to persecute Muslims. The opposition also expressed concern about the timeliness of the bill, arguing that it was politically motivated and was in line with an overall scheme.
Kalyan Banerjee questioned whether the state recognizes Waqf, which is in the name of Allah.
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