Oppn MPs indicate move to disassociate from Parliament panel on Waqf Bill
unhappy over Chair's functioning
New Delhi, Nov 4: Opposition MPs in the parliamentary committee scrutinising the Waqf (Amendment) Bill are scheduled to meet Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday to protest its chairperson Jagdambika Pal's alleged "unilateral" decisions and attempts to "bulldoze" proceedings, indicating that they may disassociate themselves from the panel.
Claiming that they have been "stonewalled" during the committee's proceedings, opposition MPs have listed their grievances, including objections against the proposed law, in the letter addressed to Birla.
Senior counsel Harish Salve is likely to appear before the parliamentary panel on Tuesday on behalf of the Dawoodi Bohra community.
Opposition sources said they have prepared a joint letter – signed by a number of MPs, including Congress's Mohammad Jawed and Imran Masood, DMK's Raja, AIMIM's Asaduddin Owaisi, AAP's Sanjay Singh and TMC's Kalyan Banerjee – that will be submitted it to the Speaker on Tuesday.
They accused Pal, a four-term MP representing the BJP, of taking "unilateral decisions" on fixing the dates of sittings -- which were at times for three consecutive days -- and whom to call as witnesses.
They said it is not practically possible for MPs to interact with deposers with adequate preparation.
The committee's proceedings have been marred by frequent protests from opposition members over a host of issues, while the BJP members have accused them of deliberately trying to scuttle its work.
With the Bill taking on distinct political hues and both the ruling BJP and the opposition INDIA bloc firm on their stand in favour and against it respectively, the panel's meetings have often resembled a political battleground as it works in overdrive to meet its deadline of the first week of Parliament's winter session.
In their joint letter, opposition MPs will urge Birla to direct Pal to have a formal consultation with members of the committee before taking any decision to assure the country that the committee is functioning in a free and fair manner, without any bias and departure from the established parliamentary procedures.
"Otherwise, we humbly submit that we may be forced to disassociate with the committee once for all as we have been stonewalled," it said.
Asserting that the joint committee of Parliament examining the Bill is like a mini Parliament, they said the panel should not be treated as a mere "ventilating chamber" to get the proposed legislation passed as "desired" by the government, ignoring the due process.
Not giving reasonable time against the will of the committee's members is nothing but an act of "atrocious onslaught on the Constitutional religion and Parliament".
Opposition MPs have also recorded their strong reservations against the Bill, claiming that the government's step is nothing but a surreptitious attempt to mitigate the earlier legislations of 1995 and 2013, enacted by Parliament with due care ensuring the secular credentials of the Constitution.
They alleged that the bill proposes over 100 amendments to the existing Act against the government's claim of only 44 changes.
They alleged, "Out of these amendments, we are reasonably confined to express our fear that the religious, spiritual and moral fabrics of a legal institution i.e. Waqf Board are going to be erased which will tarnish our country's image in the eye of the world community on minority rights guaranteed in our Constitution," they said.
For these reasons, the committee's sittings must be decided in such a manner to allow adequate time to discuss and deliberate every clause of the Bill, including Parliament's legislative competency.
Pal has rejected the charge that he has not allowed opposition members to air their views, asserting that he has ensured everybody's heard.
Opposition members had written to the Speaker last month as well to highlight the alleged "gross violation of rules" in the committee's functioning.
The BJP-led NDA members had also gone to Birla once after TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee smashed a glass bottle during the panel's meeting and allegedly threw it towards Pal, who was unharmed. Banerjee, though, ended up injuring his two fingers.
A number of Muslim groups, including Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, appeared before the committee on Monday to register views on the Bill.
While Jamaat-e-Islami Hind opposed the amendments, several other groups, including the Muslim Women Intellectual Group led by Shalini Ali and Vishwa Shanti Parishad led by Faiz Ahmad Faiz supported the changes.
Ali wanted the Waqf boards to spell out the steps it had taken to help in the education of orphans and pensions for divorced women, and wanted them to set targets in this regard.
She also wanted the Waqf boards to give up claims on lands that had temples and mosques for several years and cited the example of Gyanvapi in Varanasi.
Maulana Kaukab Mujtaba of the Ulema Foundation wanted the government to set up a separate Central Waqf Board for the Shia sect of Muslims.
He also wanted the Centre to take action against the misuse of Waqf properties by passing the Waqf Amendment Bill in Parliament.
Mujtaba also wanted the government to register FIR against Muttawalli of Waqf properties who failed to pay the required taxes after the audit.
Faiz of the Vishwa Shanti Parishad objected to the appointment of the Collector as the surveyor of Waqf properties and the authority to decide on their ownership.
He said such roles should be delegated to the Additional District Magistrates from the Muslim community.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
