"Waqf Amendment Bill "bulldozed" through JPC": Jairam Ramesh

New Delhi [India], March 7 (ANI): Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Friday criticised the handling of the Waqf Amendment Bill and alleged that the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) process failed to uphold democratic norms.
Jairam Ramesh accused the committee of bypassing a clause-by-clause discussion and ignoring dissenting voices from opposition MPs and alleged that the Waqf Amendment Bill was "bulldozed" through the JPC.
Speaking to ANI, the Congress leader said, "Usually, the budget session is fairly well-structured. In the first part of the budget session, we have the presentation of the budget, of course, and the President's address, the motion of thanks, all that is over. Now, we come to the second phase. In the second phase, we usually take up four to five ministries and discuss demands for grants. We identified a couple of ministries in the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha--education, social justice empowerment, railways, and health. They will be discussed in both the houses."
"The biggest controversy in the budget session, the second part, is going to be the Waqf Amendment Bill, which was bulldozed through the JPC. The JPC ignored all the comments made by the opposition members of Parliament in the JPC. They selectively invited people to give evidence to the JPC," said Jairam Ramesh.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh further criticised the handling of the Waqf Amendment Bill, alleging that the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) process failed to uphold democratic norms.
He accused the committee of bypassing a clause-by-clause discussion and ignoring dissenting voices from opposition MPs.
"The JPC was conducted in a manner that did not do justice to the democratic processes. Usually when a bill is referred to a Standing Committee, the Select Committee or the JPC, there is a clause-by-clause discussion on the bill. The report is also presented clause-by-clause. That didn't happen. There was no clause-by clause discussion on the JPC," he said.
He further alleged that dissent notes and suggestions from opposition members were completely disregarded.
"I don't think in the last 70-75 years of the parliament, including its provision, I don't think any bill has been passed without going through a clause-by-clause analysis in the JPC. The dissent notes were ignored, and the comments and suggestions made by the opposition MPs were ignored. The Congress and all other parties that make the INDIA alliance will oppose this bill. There is no question of supporting this bill. The content of the bill is separate but the manner in which the bill was bulldozed through the JPC," said Ramesh.
The Congress leader also slammed the BJP-led Centre for avoiding discussions on key foreign policy challenges, including Indo-US relations, China's border tensions, and the treatment of Indian citizens abroad.
He accused the ruling party of refusing to engage in a serious parliamentary debate on these pressing matters.
"There are important issues in Indo-US relations that we raised in the last session. The way Indian citizens were handcuffed, chained, and deported from America, and the threats President Trump is making against his so-called 'great friend'--if you see the reality, we are being threatened," Ramesh said.
He also highlighted concerns over China, stating that Parliament has not held a meaningful discussion on Indo-China relations or the ongoing border challenges and said, "We have been demanding an all-party meeting on China. There were one or two such meetings, including one in Bangladesh, but they were not led by the Prime Minister. Instead, they were handled by the Home Minister and the External Affairs Minister."
Ramesh further alleged that these ministers were acting under the influence of a "master puppeteer," suggesting centralised control over key decisions. (ANI)