Senior Advocate and All India Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha MP Kalyan Banerjee was on Tuesday suspended for one day and from two meetings of the joint parliamentary committee (JPC) on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, after he reportedly broke a glass water bottle during a heated argument with BJP MP Abhijit Gangopadhyay.
Sources said the incident occurred when two Odisha-based organizations were making a presentation, the relevance of which was questioned by the opposition MPs.
Banerjee, who had already spoken three times, sought another opportunity to contribute during the meeting. The AITC leader was intent on making his point while Gangopadhyay was speaking.
This led to a heated exchange between them, during which both reportedly used abusive language. The AITC leader then smashed a glass water bottle and threw it at panel chairman Jagdambika Pal (BJP).
He injured his thumb and index finger in the incident, requiring first aid at the medical center inside the parliament complex.
As a result of the incident, the meeting was temporarily adjourned.
Calling it an undemocratic behaviour, Pal told a leading news channel that he has apprised Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla about the incident. Calling it a big incident, Pal said for the first time, the JPC had to be adjourned out of compulsion.
He said two delegations from Odisha, which included senior lawyers and former judges, were present during the meeting. This did not send the right message to the country, expressed Pal, adding that AITC should also think about the behaviour of its member.
Pal further said that he was ready to resign if the JPC members felt he was being unfair.
Banerjee was suspended for one day under rule 347, with a division vote of 10-8. The resolution was moved by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, said media reports.
The committee heard opinions and recommendations from representatives of ‘Justice in Reality’ and ‘Panchasakha Prachar’ on Waqf bill.
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 aims to implement reforms by introducing digitisation, stricter audits, transparency, and legal measures to reclaim illegally occupied properties.
To ensure comprehensive reform, the Joint Committee is conducting a series of meetings to gather input from government officials, legal experts, Waqf Board members, and community representatives from various states and Union territories.
Banerjee, an AITC leader, is currently serving his fourth term as MP from Serampore (West Bengal). He is also a Senior Advocate, who practices before the Supreme Court and the Calcutta High Court.
Justice Gangopadhyay is an MP from the Tamluk constituency in West Bengal. He had resigned as judge in March this year and contested the Lok Sabha elections on a BJP ticket.
Even as a judge, Justice Gangopadhyay had been a vocal critic of Mamata Banerjee-led AITC government in the State.
The former judge had been in the thick of things in the recent past over his controversial orders and statements.
He had accused Justice Soumen Sen of the Calcutta High Court of ‘acting’ for a political party in the State.
The Supreme Court eventually took cognisance and transferred all proceedings to itself in some cases before Justice Gangopadhyay.