Union Minister Kiren Rijiju Thursday dismissed the Opposition’s allegations that parts of dissent notes were blurred or removed from the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) report on the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024.
He asserted that the entire report, including annexures, had been presented in Parliament as per rules.
“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, the chairman has the power to remove it. The chairman has this power as per the rules,” Rijiju said.
He further added that if any member feels that certain portions were removed unfairly, they could raise the issue with the JPC chairman.
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The minister also rejected the Opposition’s claim that the report was unconstitutional.
“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. All dissent reports are included in the report tabled in the Rajya Sabha,” he said.
His remarks came after the JPC report on the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024 was tabled in the Rajya Sabha. Following its presentation, Opposition MPs staged a walkout, alleging that their dissent notes had been removed from the document.
Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge called the report “unconstitutional” and “fake.” He urged the Leader of the House J P Nadda to take back the report. “The Waqf panel deleted the dissent notes of MPs and added views of people from outside. This is unconstitutional and the House will not allow tabling of such a report,” he added.
