NEW DELHI: Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha MP Kalyan Banerjee, a participant in the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, has urged Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to step in and address certain “legal” matters related to the draft report of the panel, which was anticipated to be presented in the House on Monday, but was ultimately not submitted.
In two comprehensive letters to the Speaker dated February 3, Banerjee highlighted issues regarding the suspension of JPC members by the panel chairman and the removal of dissent notes by 11 members from the draft prepared for the House presentation.
Citing parliamentary rules, Banerjee, who has faced suspension from the JPC on two occasions, stated in his letter that JPC members, including himself, were suspended by the JPC chairman, which he deemed “illegal,” since only the Speaker possesses the authority to suspend members. He noted that while he could pursue legal action, he chose not to as he has confidence in the Speaker and believes he will resolve the matter as the guardian of the House.
In his second letter, Banerjee expressed concern that dissent notes were removed from the draft report at the last minute, a move he claims should only be authorized by the Speaker according to Lok Sabha regulations.
Sources indicate that Banerjee had a conversation with Birla on Saturday after the Budget presentation, in which he sought intervention in this issue, leading to the writing of the two letters on Monday.
“It is stated that the suspension of a member of a Joint Parliamentary Committee by the chairperson and the majority members of any Committee, is entirely illegal and exceeds the bounds of the Rules of Procedure & Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha (Rule 373)… Consequently, the suspension orders issued to me are completely illegal and arbitrary, against the established Rules… I have refrained from approaching the Court of Law because I believe that you, as the Hon’ble Speaker, can address this matter, and I trust that you will adjudicate based on the merits and in accordance with the law,” Banerjee articulated.
“If I do not contest the legality of the suspension order, future generations will reproach me for failing to address such a crucial issue,” he further added.
“Delete actions can only be taken under Clause 91 of the Directions issued by the Lok Sabha Speaker…” Banerjee emphasized, noting, “Last Saturday, we discovered that the complete JPC recommendations and dissent notes had been circulated on the website. To our shock and dismay, we found that objectives and dissent notes had been deleted by the Chairman without any prior notification or consultation.”
He requested that the dissent notes be reinstated and added back to the circulated and uploaded drafts of the report.
