Trinamool MP Kalyan Banerjee smashes bottle in JPC meet, heated debate between BJP and oppn on his suspension (Ld)

New Delhi: A dramatic incident unfolded during the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) meeting on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, when Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kalyan Banerjee broke a glass bottle amidst a heated exchange.

The meeting had to be adjourned briefly after Banerjee, in a fit of rage, smashed the bottle and threw its broken pieces toward JPC Chairman Jagdambika Pal.

JPC Chairman Pal immediately informed about the incident to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, expressing relief that no one was hurt. He also condemned Banerjee’s behaviour, describing it as inappropriate and disruptive.

Opposition MPs, however, accused Pal of bias, alleging he had given undue preference to ruling party members during the session.

After the incident, a proposal was put forward to suspend Banerjee from attending the JPC meetings for one day (equivalent to two sessions). “Kalyan Banerjee, who is a member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Waqf, is suspended for one day and two sessions under Rules 261 and 374(1)(2) of the Lok Sabha for his wrong choice of words against the committee chairman Jagdambika Pal and hurling the pieces of a bottle at him,” the proposal said.

The suspension was approved by a majority vote, though some ruling party MPs, including BJP’s Abhijit Gangopadhyay, were not satisfied with what they saw as a lenient punishment.

Gangopadhyay, in particular, voiced his displeasure with his own party’s soft stance and is reportedly planning to raise the issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The tension began earlier in the meeting when representatives from two Cuttack-based organisations, Justice in Reality and Panchasakha Bani Prachar Mandali, were presenting their views. Banerjee interrupted several times, which led to a confrontation with BJP MP Gangopadhyay. The situation escalated when Banerjee attempted to speak again out of turn, triggering a verbal duel between the two JPC members.

During this argument, Banerjee reportedly smashed a water bottle, injuring himself in the process, before hurling the broken pieces in the direction of Chairman Jagdambika Pal. The meeting was stopped, and both opposition and ruling party members later accused each other of using abusive language.

After the meeting resumed, a heated debate followed, with ruling party MPs demanding a harsher penalty for Banerjee, while opposition members argued that the JPC did not have the authority to impose a longer suspension.

Ultimately, Banerjee was suspended for one day. Opposition members demanded a translation of the Bengali-language exchange between him and Gangopadhyay to know who used the offensive language first.

–IANS