BJP MPs Walk Out Of Parliamentary Panel Meet, Objecting To Presence Of Medha Patkar, Prakash Raj

By Admin

02 Jul, 2025

In a dramatic turn of events during a routine parliamentary committee meeting on Tuesday morning, BJP MPs staged a walkout from the Standing Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj. The uproar was triggered by the presence of social activist Medha Patkar and actor-activist Prakash Raj both known for their vocal criticism of the ruling party.

Agenda Sparks Tension

The meeting, chaired by Congress MP Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka, aimed to consider and adopt two draft reports related to the Department of Land Resources and the Ministry of Panchayati Raj. It also included scheduled testimonies from ministry officials, NGOs, and other stakeholders on the implementation of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.

However, BJP members raised serious concerns when they discovered that Patkar and Raj, neither of whom were listed in the pre-distributed schedule, were expected to participate. Their inclusion, which came as a surprise to most committee members, led to allegations of procedural lapses and political bias.

BJP MPs Object to ‘Politically Motivated’ Participants

Leading the protest, BJP MP Purushottam Rupala criticised the presence of Medha Patkar, alleging that she had a long history of opposing developmental projects, particularly those beneficial to Gujarat. “She has no moral standing to speak on such matters before the committee," Rupala reportedly stated, adding, “If it were up to her, half of Gujarat would be drought-stricken."

Supporting Rupala’s objection were fellow BJP MPs Dr. Sanjay Jaiswal, Raju Bista, and Jugal Kishore. They questioned the lack of transparency and accused the chairman of withholding the list of witnesses. Notably, only Dr. Jaiswal had received the witness list, raising eyebrows and further fuelling claims of irregularities.

The Mystery of Prakash Raj’s Presence

Controversy deepened when Prakash Raj was seen outside the meeting room despite his name not appearing on any circulated list. The chairman reportedly claimed he had obtained permission from the Lok Sabha Speaker to invite such individuals, but BJP MPs contested this, asserting that no official approval was granted.

Congress Defends, BJP Warns

Congress MPs Mohammad Javed and Imran Masood defended the chairman’s decision, arguing for the inclusion of diverse voices. However, BJP’s Raju Bista warned that bringing in personalities with “a clear political agenda" could only provoke members and undermine the committee’s integrity.

Dr. Sanjay Jaiswal, speaking to CNN-News18, expressed deep concern: “In the history of parliamentary proceedings, we have never seen members kept in the dark about who is appearing and why. Medha Patkar is facing nearly 45 to 50 cases filed by the central and various state governments how can such a person represent public interest before a parliamentary panel?"

Walkout and Adjournment

A committee member later told CNN-News18, anonymously, that the chairman is usually regarded as fair but may have acted under pressure from his party leadership. “Summoning known Gandhi family supporters like Medha Patkar sends the wrong message,” the member said.

With the chairman refusing to back down and intending to proceed with testimonies from ten NGO representatives, BJP MPs walked out in protest. The meeting was subsequently adjourned due to lack of quorum.

This incident has once again highlighted the deepening rift between the ruling BJP and the opposition in Parliament, raising questions about procedural fairness, political bias, and the space for dissenting voices in India's democratic institutions.