The showdown between the Opposition MPs and the ruling BJP members continues in the JPC on Waqf. The Opposition members met Speaker Om Birla to apprise him about "unilateral" decisions taken by the JPC chairperson Jagdambika Pal.
A day earlier the Opposition JPC members had written to Birla, seeking his intervention on their differences with Pal who, they said, was fixing dates of meeting on his own accord.
Among the members who participated in the meeting with Speaker Birla were TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee, AAP MP Sanjay Singh, DMK MP A. Raja, Congress' Mohammad Jawed and Imran Masood, DMK's Raja and AIMIM's Asaduddin Owaisi. They also submitted a memorandum to Speaker.
Speaker Birla is learnt to have assured the members that he would look into the matter. Following this, the Opposition MPs said they would continue to participate in the proceedings.
During the meeting, members of the Bohra community appeared before the JPC panel. They were represented by lawyer Harish Salve.
The JPC is moving swiftly to conduct meetings.
Pal would visit Hubballi and Vijayapura on November 7 to interact with farmers affected by the Waqf’s action. “The chairman will interact with farmer organisations, mutts, and the petitions given to him will be placed before JPC,” the Bengaluru South MP posted on social media on November 5.
Meanwhile, former Union Minister Rajeev Chandrashekhar also asked Pal to visit Kerala's Munambam to meet people affected by the Waqf board. BJP MP Aprajita Sarangi who is also the JPC member, responded to Chandrashekhar's request saying that she has already visited the area and briefed the chairperson.
The row over Waqf action on various properties may escalate in the coming days as the government wants to pass the bill at the earliest after JPC submits its report.