“Shouldn’t have happened”: TMC leader Jay Prakash on Kalyan Banerjee incident in JPC meeting

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], October 23 (ANI): After TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee reportedly smashed a glass bottle during the heated exchange with BJP MP Abhijit Gangopadhyay in the JPC meeting on Waqf (Amendment) Bill, TMC leader Jay Prakash Majumdar said that it is a very sad incident and should not have happened.

Majumdar said, “We are not aware of what exactly occurred or happened. However, it is a very sad incident and it should not have happened. Most importantly, we must point out that the person involved in this incident BJP MP Abhijit Ganguly is notoriously known as a person with huge nuisance value. Kalyan Banerjee is a proven parliamentarian for four terms. He is a veteran parliamentarian and Abhijit Ganguly is a new entity in the parliament.”

Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee was suspended for one session of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024 after he reportedly smashed a glass bottle during a heated exchange with BJP MP Abhijit Gangopadhyay here on Tuesday.

According to the sources, Banerjee was suspended for one day under rule 347 by a division of vote of 9-7. It means he cannot attend the next meeting. After the suspension, he left the meeting.

During the JPC meeting held on Waqf Bill, many eminent personalities, including retired judges and Supreme Court lawyers, were present.

According to the sources, Kalyan Banerjee wanted to speak out of turn. He had already spoken thrice and wanted to get a chance again during the presentation. But BJP MP Abhijit objected. This ensued a heated exchange between them, where sources said both used abusive language.

Meanwhile, Banerjee picked up a glass water bottle, hit it on the table, and hurt himself. After this, he threw the broken bottle towards the chairman. Due to the incident, the meeting adjourned for some time. Soon after, Banerjee was taken for medical aid, wherein he received four stitches in his hand, sources said.

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, aims to bring significant reforms, including digitization of records, stricter audits, increased transparency, and legal mechanisms to reclaim illegally occupied waqf properties.