NEW DELHI: The row over the alleged ‘violation of parliamentary code of conduct’ in the meeting of the joint parliamentary committee on Waqf (Amendment) Bill continued on Tuesday after several MPs from the Opposition camp staged a walkout.Accusing the BJP members of using derogatory remarks against them, the Opposition MPs wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on the “gross violation of parliamentary code of conduct” in the meeting by JPC chairman Jagdambika Pal.TMC’s Kalyan Banerjee, Gaurav Gogoi and Imran Masood from Congress, DMK’s A Raja, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, Arvind Sawant from Shiv Sena (UBT) and AAP’s Sanjay Singh were some of the MPs who boycotted the meeting. Ruckus broke out while the panel was hearing a presentation from representatives of the Ministry of Minority Affairs on Waqf Bill. BJP MPs Nishikant Dubey and Abhijit Ganguly reportedly locked horns with Banerjee and Gogoi over the proposal to include women in Waqf boards.However, the Opposition members rejoined the meeting after nearly one hour.Following the walkout, Sawant told reporters that the panel was not functioning in accordance with established parliamentary norms. He also claimed that personal allegations had been allowed during the session, particularly targeting senior leaders like Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. “We have boycotted because the committee is not functioning with the principles and norms of the committee. Ethically and principally, they are wrong,” he said. The Opposition also criticised the committee for allowing such allegations. In the letter to the Speaker, the members alleged that there were numerous violations of the parliamentary code of conduct and rules of procedure by Chairperson Jagdambika Pal during the meeting held on October 14.
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