“Not right to call JPC report unconstitutional, all dissent notes included,” says Kiren Rijiju on Oppn protest on Waqf Bill

New Delhi [India], February 13 (ANI): Amid Opposition protest over a joint parliamentary council report on the Waqf Amendment Bill, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday assured that dissent notes of the leaders are included in the report and it is not right to term the report as illegal and unconstitutional.

Speaking to mediapersons, Rijiju asserted that the whole report has been presented, and the annexure has also been presented in the House.

“If the dissent notes cast aspersion on the committee, then the chairman has the power to remove it if needed. The chairman has this power as per the rules. If the members think that something should not have been removed, they can ask the chairman. It is not right to call the JPC report illegal and unconstitutional… It is not NDA’s report; it is the report of the Parliament,” Rijiju said.

“All dissent reports are included in the report which was tabled in the Rajya Sabha and will be tabled in the Lok Sabha,” Rijiju added.

Congress National President and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, on Thursday opposed the JPC report, alleging that dissent notes from Opposition members were removed.

Kharge said that it is not right to remove the dissent notes and views of the Opposition members from the report.

“In the JPC report on the Waqf Board, many members have their dissent report. It is not right to remove those notes and bulldoze our views. This is anti-democratic and condemnable. Stockholders were called from outside and their statements were taken. I condemn any report that has been presented after deleting the dissent reports. We will never accept such fake reports. If the report does not have dissent views, it should be sent back and presented again,” Kharge said.

A major uproar erupted in both houses of the Parliament today before the JPC report on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, was tabled. The Lok Sabha was adjourned till 2 pm amid Opposition sloganeering against the report, while the Rajya Sabha also witnessed heated exchanges.