TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee strongly disagrees with Manipur crisis and Wakf Bill report
New Delhi: On Friday, Kalyan Banerjee, a member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill and a member of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), voiced his displeasure with the JPC’s final report on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024 and his strong disapproval of the imposition of President’s Rule in Manipur.
He said that decisive action ought to have been taken far sooner and expressed dissatisfaction over the delay in resolving the Manipur problem.
“This should have been done long, long years ago,” Banerjee told the media report. Justice is defeated by delay. The honorable prime minister has opposed the justice of the people of Manipur. For over two years, the people of Manipur have been subjected to violations of their basic rights. Even a one-minute suspension of basic rights is completely unlawful and illegal.
SOURCE AND CREDIT: ANI
https://x.com/ANI/status/1890293975761973698
Following a report from the state governor, Manipur was placed under President’s Rule on Thursday.
The action was taken a few days after Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh resigned on February 9.
The state had been beset by political unrest and bloodshed for over two years before he resigned. The Governor will now have direct authority over the state’s administrative operations as a result of the decision, which was made in accordance with Article 356 of the Constitution.
Banerjee also voiced his displeasure with the JPC’s final report on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024, pointing out issues with religious feeling and property ownership and declaring it illegal.
“Land and property are the central issues of the Waqf,” he said. The proper body to enact laws on such subjects is the state, not Parliament. Only 15-20% of Muslims are permitted to serve on a Waqf Council; only Hindus are permitted on other religious bodies. This is prejudice.
“All of the opposition leaders went to the Speaker yesterday,” he said. We have discussed our issues with him. The previously provided dissent notes were almost entirely erased. Now, 70% have been added as a result of our influence. In essence, the number of hands is not necessary. It is the caliber of the factors that need to be taken into account. Fascism is on the rise in the nation if the quantity is all that matters and not the quality of the discussion. The JPC report on Waqf is completely opposed by us. The report has arrived along with the disagreement note that we provided. We don’t approve of the bill.
Banerjee said how the Waqf Bill and the Manipur conflict were handled as examples of democracy’s decline. “If democracy is not upheld in parliamentary proceedings, how can the people of India trust in their democracy?” he said.
