Trinamool MP Kalyan Banerjee injured his hand after smashing a glass water bottle during a heated argument at the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) meeting on the Waqf Bill on Tuesday. The incident occurred during a confrontation between Banerjee and BJP MP Abhijit Gangopadhyay, sources said.
As the argument escalated, Banerjee slammed the bottle onto the table, injuring his hand and requiring four stitches. The meeting, chaired by BJP‘s Jagdambika Pal, was briefly paused after the incident. Banerjee was escorted back to the room by AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi and AAP leader Sanjay Singh after receiving medical assistance.
Banerjee was suspended for a day from the JPC on the Waqf Bill following his alleged unruly behavior during a meeting on Tuesday. His actions, including the use of “unparliamentary” language directed at the committee chairperson, Jagdambika Pal, resulted in his suspension under Lok Sabha Rules 261 and 374(1) (2).
The panel was hearing input from a group of retired judges and lawyers when opposition members questioned their involvement in the discussion. Tensions rose when Banerjee attempted to speak out of turn, leading to objections from Gangopadhyay. Banerjee allegedly used unparliamentary language, which intensified the situation and resulted in the bottle-smashing incident.
Following the incident, Banerjee was suspended from the next meeting of the Waqf Bill panel, with nine votes in favor of suspension and seven against. Opposition members have previously clashed with BJP MPs during these panel discussions, accusing the chairperson of biased conduct and failing to address inappropriate language used by BJP members. Last week, Banerjee was also involved in a spat with BJP MPs Nishikant Dubey and Dilip Saikia.
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The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, introduced by the Centre on July 28 and referred to the JPC on August 8, seeks to limit the powers of Waqf boards in declaring properties as Waqf assets.