Waqf meet: Day's suspension for TMC's Kalyan Banerjee as he smashes bottle, hurls it towards chairman

New Delhi | TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee was suspended for one day from the parliamentary committee on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill after high drama during its meeting on Tuesday where he smashed a glass water bottle and threw it towards the Chair while injuring his fingers in the process.

The committee's chairperson and veteran BJP MP Jagdambika Pal condemned the conduct of Banerjee, a rather vocal parliamentarian who has been strident in his criticism of the Bill. He said such actions were "unprecedented" and crossed all limits.

As MPs enjoy privilege, does it mean someone will appear with a revolver tomorrow, Pal told reporters, adding he had a narrow escape.

During the meeting, Banerjee was involved in an ugly spat with BJP MP and former Calcutta High Court judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay -- not for the first time -- as expletives were hurled with both members attacking each other in Bengali. Pal said it has become the TMC member's habit to use cuss words while some opposition members claimed that Gangopadhyay also targeted him.

Pal said he and other members tried to calm things when the Trinamool Congress leader picked up a glass bottle, smashed it and threw it towards him.

Banerjee ended up with cuts on the thumb and the little finger in his right hand as a stunned Pal adjourned the meeting. He was administered stitches at a medical dispensary in the parliament complex.

The committee later took up a motion moved by BJP member Nishikant Dubey to suspend Banerjee for one day, whenever the next meeting takes place, for his conduct towards the Chair. Votes were divided 10-8, with the ruling alliance and opposition members polling on partisan lines.

Sources said Banerjee expressed regret for smashing the bottle and claimed that he never meant to throw it towards Pal, while still accusing him of "biased" behaviour.

Gangopadhyay was visibly upset after only one-day suspension was handed out to Banerjee as penalty and over the fact that the motion made no mention of the verbal attack on him. He is likely to take up the issue at the highest level, a source said.

Asked about the future course of action, Pal said he apprised Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla of the development. "It was in a way criminal act that could have badly hurt me. His conduct is a blow to parliamentary democracy," he added.

The committee's meetings have often seen tempers fly with opposition members accusing the Chair of inviting different organisations, including those working for Hindu causes, having no stake in the Waqf issues and the BJP members charging their political rivals with deliberately disturbing the proceedings.

The committee on Tuesday was hearing the views of two Odisha-based organisations, Justice in Reality and Panchasakha Bani Prachar, both of which included retired judges and lawyers, when opposition members questioned their stake in the Bill. Both bodies were supportive of the amendments and offered more suggestions.

A BJP member said Banerjee was the first person to speak when the meeting began and was also allowed some interventions by the Chair. When he sought another turn to speak, Pal declined and a heated exchange erupted between him and Gangopadhyay, who objected to the repeated disturbance.

MPs from Kerala-based Indian Union Muslim League deposed in the afternoon and opposed the amendments.

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill was referred to the joint panel of the Houses soon after being introduced in the Lok Sabha in the Monsoon Session.

The Bill to amend the law governing Waqf boards has proposed far-reaching changes in the present Act, including ensuring the representation of Muslim women and non-Muslims in such bodies.

It also aims at renaming the Waqf Act, 1995, as the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Act, 1995.

According to its statement of objects and reasons, the Bill seeks to omit Section 40 of the current law relating to the powers of the Board to decide if a property is Waqf property.

It provides for a broad-based composition of the Central Waqf Council and the State Waqf Boards and ensures the representation of Muslim women and non-Muslims in such bodies.

The Bill also proposes the establishment of a separate Board of Auqaf for the Boharas and Aghakhanis. The draft law provides for the representation of Shias, Sunnis, Bohras, Agakhanis and other backward classes among Muslim communities.

Kalyan Banerjee no stranger to controversies

Kolkata | TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee, suspended for a day from the parliamentary committee on the Waqf Bill after smashing a glass water bottle and hurling it at the Chair during an argument on Tuesday, has a track record of landing into controversies and making inflammatory remarks against political opponents.

Banerjee earlier mocked, among others, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar who was a former West Bengal governor, the agitating junior doctors of the state protesting the rape and murder of their colleague at RG Kar hospital, and former state chief minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee.

During a meeting of the Joint Committee on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill on Tuesday, Banerjee got into a heated argument with BJP MP and former Calcutta High Court judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay.

During the meeting, Banerjee was involved in an ugly spat with Gangopadhyay— not for the first time— as expletives were hurled, with both members attacking each other in Bangla.

The Committee's chairperson and veteran BJP MP Jagdambika Pal said he and other members tried to calm things when the Trinamool Congress leader picked up a glass bottle, smashed it and threw it towards him. Banerjee ended up with cuts on the thumb and the little finger in his right hand.

Pal stated that it had become the TMC member's habit to use cuss words, while some opposition members claimed that Gangopadhyay also targeted him.

The committee suspended Banerjee for a day, citing his inappropriate language towards the Chair and his act of smashing the bottle.

The 67-year-old lawyer-turned-politician has earned the moniker "loose cannon" from political opponents due to his track record of making controversial remarks and frequently landing in controversy.

Last week, during the junior doctors' protest against the rape and murder of a medic, Banerjee taunted their "fast-unto-death" as "fast-unto-hospitalisation" aimed at attracting media attention and securing hospital admission days after the agitation began.

In December last year, Banerjee mocked Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar during an opposition protest outside Parliament, imitating him in a manner that sparked outrage.

The ruling BJP was quick to criticise his actions, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu expressed their dismay.

In response, the Trinamool Congress leader clarified that he did not intend to offend anyone.

As a four-time MP from the Serampore seat, Banerjee has a track record of making controversial remarks against former chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya and Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well.

A law graduate with roots in student politics, Banerjee has been a staunch supporter of TMC boss Mamata Banerjee. He was elected to the West Bengal Assembly in 2001 first, before becoming a Lok Sabha MP from the Serampore constituency in 2009.

Kalyan Banerjee first gained prominence in 2009 for criticising then CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharya's time spent at the city's cultural hub Nandan.

In 2012, during the TMC's withdrawal of support from the Congress-led UPA government, Banerjee engaged in a verbal spat with then union minister Anand Sharma over the issue of allowing foreign direct investment (FDI).

Four years later, amid protests against demonetisation outside the Reserve Bank of India office in Kolkata, Banerjee made controversial remarks against Prime Minister Modi, leading to widespread condemnation.

In January 2021, months before the state assembly polls, Banerjee stirred controversy by invoking Goddess Sita and Lord Ram while slamming the BJP over the rape at Hathras in Uttar Pradesh.

The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the BJP vehemently criticized Banerjee, demanding his immediate arrest for allegedly hurting religious sentiments.

Banerjee clashed frequently with Dhankhar during the latter's tenure as West Bengal governor.

On several occasions, Banerjee led protests against the Raj Bhavan, even urging TMC workers to file police complaints against Dhankhar and suggesting legal action once his term as governor ended.

Despite the controversies, Banerjee is valued within the TMC for his legal expertise and is often the party’s go-to advisor on legal matters that involve the party or the West Bengal government.