Waqf Bill: Opposition MPs boycott Joint Parliamentary Committee meeting

New Delhi: Several opposition MPs on Monday boycotted a meeting of the parliamentary committee examining the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, alleging that the panel is not functioning in accordance with rules and regulations.

Opposition MPs, such as Gaurav Gogoi and Imran Masood of the Congress, A Raja of the DMK, Arvind Sawant of the Shiv Sena (UBT), AIMIM's Asaduddin Owaisi, Samjwadi Party's Mohibbullah and Sanjay Singh of the Aam Aadmi Party, stormed out of the meeting and expressed strong sentiments against its proceedings.

The Joint Committee of Parliament, which is examining the Bill, is not functioning in accordance with rules and regulations, Sawant told reporters.

He and some other MPs charged that personal allegations were allowed to be levelled against senior opposition members like Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge by a person who was deposing before the committee.

The opposition members held a separate meeting later to decide their next course of action, with a couple of them suggesting that they may approach the Lok Sabha speaker.

The committee headed by veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Jagdambika Pal continued with its proceedings.