"Our government is trying to remove the injustice within the Waqf Board": Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar

Siliguri (West Bengal) [India], October 23 (ANI): Day after Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee was suspended for the day from the JPC session on Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024 after he reportedly smashed a glass bottle during the meeting, Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar said that the BJP government is trying to remove the injustice within the Waqf Board.
"Our government is trying to remove the injustice within the Waqf Board. For eg, they are claiming a 1500-year-old temple as Waqf property. The age of Islam is 1400 and it is even less in India, but a 1500-year-old temple is a Waqf property. What kind of claim is that? This is nothing but a vote bank...", he said.
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.
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)