There was drama, and broken glass and bandages, Tuesday - courtesy Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee - as a joint parliamentary committee met to study amendments to the Waqf Board Bill.
The energetic Mr Banerjee - who made headlines December after mimicking Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, as opposition MPs protested on Parliament's steps - slammed a glass bottle on the table while arguing with Abhijit Gangopadhyay, a BJP MP and ex judge of the Calcutta High Court.
According to news agency PTI, Mr Banerjee also threw pieces of the bottle at the BJP's Jagdambika Pal. who is the Chairperson of the committee. Hitting out at the Trinamool leader later over abuse of privileges, Mr Pal declared, "Does it mean someone will appear with a revolver tomorrow?"
Mr Banerjee injured his right hand and had to be given first aid; he was escorted from the Parliament's medical centre - where he was treated for a 1.5-centimetre laceration on his right thumb and a cut on his little finger - by AAP MP Sanjay Singh and AIMIM MP and chief Asaduddin Owaisi.
Visuals shared by news agency PTI showed Mr Banerjee returning from the visit to the doctor, with Mr Singh and Mr Owaisi flanking him, and the Trinamool leader being fed soup by a staffer.
The note from the doctor on duty at the medical centre inside the Parliament complex.
Mr Banerjee - who refused to speak to reporters after the incident, although he professed regret for his actions, and reportedly said, privately, that he did not mean to throw the bottle at Mr Pal - has been suspended from the next meeting; a resolution to that effect was tabled by the BJP's Nishikant Dubey.
Votes were divided 10-8, with the members from the BJP-led ruling alliance and the opposition polling on partisan lines. Sources said the one-meeting ban seemed to upset Mr Gangopadhyay, who declared he would take the issue up with a higher authority, although what that might be is unclear.
Mr Pal, meanwhile, has spoken to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. "It was, in a way, a criminal act that could have badly hurt me. His conduct is a blow to parliamentary democracy," he told reporters.
Sources told NDTV a 'scuffle' broke as two Odisha organisations - Justice in Reality and Panchasakha Bani Prachar, both of which have backed the changes to the Waqf laws - were making a presentation.
The relevance of the presentation was questioned by the opposition MPs.
Mr Banerjee was apparently speaking out of turn; he was determined to make a point as Mr Gangopadhyay was speaking, but the BJP MP was equally determined to not concede.
A spat broke out and both MPs began using unparliamentary language, sources said. It was then that an incensed Mr Banerjee then slammed the glass bottle on the table.
The committee met last week too, and there was drama then as well.
Opposition MPs boycotted that meet claiming a "biased" committee and demanding that Mr Pal be removed as Chairperson. "We boycotted because the committee is not functioning (as per) principles and norms... In terms of ethics they are wrong," the Shiv Sena's Arvind Sawant said.
READ | Opposition MPs Boycott Parliamentary Committee Meet On Waqf Bill
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill was tabled in Parliament in August and, amid furious protests from opposition MPs, sent to the joint committee for further study.
Back in August, in the feisty exchange that followed the proposals being tabled, the Congress called it a "draconian" measure, an "attack on the federal system", and a violation of fundamental rights.
READ | Opposition Targets Non-Muslims Provision In "Draconian" Waqf Bill
Other opposition leaders, including Mr Owaisi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, also objected to the alterations in the Waqf laws, including the make-up of central and state boards - which could now include non-Muslims - and the councils' ability to earmark land for various purposes.
At least three BJP allies - including Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JDU and his Andhra Pradesh counterpart Chandrababu Naidu's TDP, both of whom are critical in Mr Modi's party maintaining its government - have also spoken out against the Waqf Amendment Bill.
READ | In Waqf Bill Row, Nitish Kumar Is 3rd BJP Ally To Raise Red Flags
Speaking after the opposition had its say, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju ripped into his rivals, declaring previous central governments (referring to those led by the Congress) could not address this issue, and that had forced the BJP-led administration to introduce these amendments.
READ | Waqf Law Change To Help Women, Say Government Sources
Among the proposed changes (apart from including non-Muslim members) is a provision to include at least two women on every board, including the Central Council. Sources have told NDTV the idea is to empower Muslim women and children who "suffered" under the old law.
With input from agencies
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