1 week Ago By Tanya Shrivastava
Bharatiya Janata Party Member of Parliament Tejasvi Surya has demanded disciplinary action against opposition members after they disrupted a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) meeting on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill. Surya wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla alleging that the opposition members threatened both the chairperson and a witness, destroyed committee documents, and made derogatory remarks. The meeting was held on Monday (October 14).
Witness testimony sparks controversy at JPC meeting The JPC meeting also saw a deposition by Anwar Manippadi, former Chairman of Karnataka state minorities commission. Manippadi spoke about his 2012 report which alleged encroachment or sale of around 2,000 acres of Waqf land worth ₹2 lakh crore. The report named some Congress leaders and was authenticated by Upa Lokayukta Justice Anand in 2016.
Surya said on hearing these allegations, opposition members disrupted proceedings and threatened. Surya details opposition's disruptive behavior in letter In his letter to Birla, Surya wrote, "Regrettably, as soon as this serious issue was brought to the Committee's attention, opposition members disrupted the proceedings." He added that they "verbally threatened both the witness and the Chairperson, and tore up committee documents.
" The MP also claimed these members approached where Manippadi and chairperson were seated, attempted to physically threaten them, snatched their notes and papers and tore them. Surya calls for disciplinary action against unruly members Further, Surya said these opposition members walked out of the meeting while hurling abuses at other members present. He stressed that such behavior, including threats to a witness and the Chairperson, cannot be tolerated.
"In the interest of maintaining the dignity and decorum of Parliamentary proceedings, I request that you direct the concerned Members of Parliament to adhere to the rules of conduct and parliamentary etiquette," he wrote in his letter to Birla..
