"Jagdambika Pal doing politics...Kalyan Banerjee was right": Kunal Ghosh on scuffle at JPC meeting on Waqf Bill

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], October 23 (ANI): Accusing Waqf Amendment Bill JPC Chairman and BJP MP Jagdambika Pal of doing "politics" in the JPC meeting, TMC leader Kunal Ghosh on Wednesday said that the points made by party leader Kalyan Banerjee in the meeting were right.
On Tuesday, Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee was suspended for one session of the JPC on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024. According to the sources, Kalyan Banerjee was suspended for one day under rule 347 by a division of vote of 9-7. Trinamool Congress MP will not be able to attend the next meeting.
"What Jagdambika Pal is saying is baseless. Kalyan Banerjee was right. BJP MP who is also an ex-judge was provoking him and that is why Kalyan Banerjee got a little angry. But the points made by Kalyan Banerjee were the right points. How can the chairman of the committee hold a press conference? He is doing politics in the committee meeting," Kunal Ghosh told ANI on Wednesday.
Earlier today, Waqf Amendment Bill JPC Chairman and BJP MP Jagdambika Pal alleged that TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee threw broken glass at him with "anger and fury" and that he narrowly escaped the alleged assault.
"Yesterday during the Joint Parliamentary Committee, TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee broke a glass bottle and threw it with such anger and fury and the way he threw it at me, it is God's grace that I narrowly escaped...I have informed the speaker about the entire incident but this is a serious attack on the parliamentary system...Kalyan Banerjee was allowed to speak the most...I will resign if someone is accusing me of not giving enough time to speak in the JPC...We have passed a resolution and expelled Kalyan Banerjee from the next meeting of JPC," Pal said.
The Joint Parliamentary Committee meeting on Waqf Bill which was held on Tuesday was attended by many eminent personalities, including retired judges and Supreme Court lawyers.
According to the sources, Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee wanted to speak out of turn. He had already spoken thrice and wanted to get another chance to speak during the presentation. But BJP MP Abhijit Gangopadhyay objected, which ensued a heated exchange between them.
Meanwhile, Kalyan Banerjee picked up a glass water bottle, hit it on the table, and hurt himself. After this, he threw the broken bottle towards the chairman. Due to the incident, the meeting adjourned.
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, aims to bring significant reforms, including digitization of records, stricter audits, increased transparency, and legal mechanisms to reclaim illegally occupied waqf properties. (ANI)