TMC’s Kalyan Banerjee announces opposition boycott of upcoming Waqf Bill JPC sessions

Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kalyan Banerjee announced on Thursday that opposition members of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Waqf Bill will boycott upcoming meetings, accusing committee chairman BJP MP Jagdambika Pal of “high-handedness” and “arbitrary action.”

Speaking at a press conference in Kolkata, Banerjee stated, “All the opposition members have decided to boycott the tour. The chairman is working in an arbitrary and high-handed manner.” The JPC meetings are scheduled to take place in Guwahati, Bhubaneswar, Kolkata, Patna, and Lucknow from November 9, with a Sunday break.

Banerjee further revealed that the opposition members had appealed to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on November 5, requesting the schedule to be deferred and the frequency of the JPC meetings reduced. Banerjee noted that Birla had verbally promised to “sympathetically” consider the demands but no changes were made.

The opposition's demands included rescheduling to allow MPs to balance JPC commitments with responsibilities in their constituencies. Banerjee criticized the JPC process, alleging that Waqf stakeholders were not being given adequate time to present their views, while individuals without a direct stake in the Amendment Bill were invited.

Banerjee further accused the ruling party of operating on “their own agenda” rather than prioritizing national interest.