Row erupts in Parl after Waqf JPC submits its report on bill

The joint parliamentary committee (JPC) examining controversial amendments to the Waqf bill submitted its report to both Houses on Thursday, triggering chaos and disruptions as the Opposition protested against the alleged deletion of parts of their dissent notes in the report.

- Smriti Kak Ramachandran and Saubhadra Chatterji

NEW DELHI:

As the Opposition stormed to the Well of the House, Union home minister Amit Shah told Speaker Om Birla that the Bharatiya Janata Party had no objection if the omitted parts were added. "Some members of the Opposition have raised concern that their views have not been included completely [in the Waqf JPC report]. I want to say on behalf of my party that considering the concerns of the Opposition, anything may be added, my party has no objection," he said.

After Shah's intervention, Birla announced that some members of the JPC came to meet him and all the points they raised during the meeting were incorporated in the annexure. Hours later, the full report with the annexure for the missing parts of the dissent notes was circulated.

The Lower House had formed the 31-member JPC on the Waqf amendment bill on August 9, a day after the draft legislation was introduced in the Lok Sabha. The JPC approved key amendments to the proposed law by a majority, rejecting all amendments put forth by members of opposition parties and accepting those put forth by the BJP and its allies.