Opposition members abruptly walked out of a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) meeting discussing the Waqf (Amendment) Bill on Wednesday, claiming that the proceedings had become a mockery.

However, they returned after about an hour, amidst indications that the committee chairperson would seek an extension for the committee’s term.

According to reports, the committee’s tenure might be extended until the first week of the Budget Session, although the final decision will be made by the Lok Sabha.

The reports further suggested that Opposition leaders left the meeting midway citing that the chairman had announced to table the draft of Waqf (Amendment) report of JPC on November 29 which all Opposition parties have boycotted. They demanded an extension of the JPC.

Earlier, Congress’s Gaurav Gogoi, DMK’s A Raja, AAP’s Sanjay Singh, and TMC’s Kalyan Banerjee protested against the conduct of committee chairperson Jagdambika Pal, accusing him of wanting to conclude the proceedings by the November 29 deadline without adhering to the necessary processes.

Gogoi noted that Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla had suggested the possibility of an extension for the committee, but it seemed that a “big minister” was influencing Pal’s actions.

“It is a mockery.” Meanwhile, YSR Congress MP V. Vijaysai Reddy stated that all parties not aligned with the BJP were in favor of an extension, but Pal insisted on completing the work to ensure the report could be presented in the Lok Sabha by November 29,” the TMC MP said.

Sanjay Singh, one of the JPC members, said: “Until the report is finalised, all the stakeholders are heard and the JPC tour is completed. I think submitting a draft report before that is wrong. The speaker had assured us that he would extend the time of the JPC. Sidelining all these things you are saying that the draft report is ready to submit. You haven’t heard Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh government.”

India on Wednesday welcomed the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon and expressed hope that it will lead to peace and stability in the wider region.

In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said: “We welcome the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon that has been announced. We have always called for de-escalation, restraint and return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy. We hope these developments will lead to peace and stability in the wider region.”

Earlier today, in a significant development in West Asia, Israel agreed to a ceasefire with Lebanon. The ceasefire agreement came into effect early morning on November 27.

In his speech after the agreement, Prime Minister Netanyahu said: “The length of the ceasefire depends on what happens in Lebanon. We will enforce the agreement and respond forcefully to any violation. We will continue united until victory.”

“We will complete the task of obliterating Hamas, we will bring home all of our hostages, we will ensure that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel and we will return the residents of the north back home safely. The war will not end until we realize all its goals, including the return of the residents of the north safely home. And I tell you, it will happen, just like it happened in the south,” Netanyahu added.

According to reports, long-displaced residents of south Lebanon have begun to return to their homes amid celebrations hours after the ceasefire.

Following the directive of the political echelon, the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon took effect at 04:00 today, and the IDF has been operating accordingly, said the Israel Defense Force (IDF) in a post on X.

It said that the IDF troops have been stationed at their positions in southern Lebanon. Over the past hour, the IDF identified a vehicle with several suspects in a zone prohibited for movement in Lebanese territory, the Israeli Army said, adding the troops fired to prevent them from advancing, and the suspects left the area.

The IAF remains ready to act across Lebanese territory and the IDF Aerial Defense Array is also in a high state of defensive readiness, it warned.

According to Israeli Army, there are currently no changes to the Home Front Command guidelines. “The IDF will operate against anyone who attempts to breach the ceasefire agreement and will continue to protect the citizens of Israel,” it emphasised.

Israel and Hamas have been at war since October 2023, following an incursion by Hamas militants across the border during a concert, which resulted in the taking of hostages. The war in West Asia has unfortunately led to large-scale destruction and a tragic loss of life in the region, impacting tens of thousands of individuals.

Shiv Sena leader and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said that he will accept Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision on the Mahayuti alliance’s CM’s choice.

Addressing the media in Mumbai, the former Chief Minister called PM Modi the head of the family, and said that the BJP leadership must not consider him an obstacle in government formation.

He said that he conveyed to the Prime Minister that if there is any problem in forming the government in Maharashtra because of him, then they should not bring any doubt in their mind and whatever decision PM Modi takes, that decision is acceptable to him. 

The Shiv Sena leader also said that his party will support whatever decision the BJP leadership takes regarding the coveted post. He said he told PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday that their decision would be binding on him and Shiv Sena.

Eknath Shinde further expressed that he had worked as a common man and never considered himself as the chief minister. He mentioned that he had always decided that when he is in a position of power, he will give it back to the public because he came from a poor family, and could understand the pain and hardships of the people of the state.

He mentioned that as a Chief Minister, he tried to take forward the ideals of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray and PM Modi. He expressed that he is very satisfied with all the work they have done in the last 2.5 years, and not the kind who gets upset. He added that they are the kind of people who fight, fight for the people.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule thanked Eknath Shinde for his stand on the CM post. The BJP Chief said that Shinde has always respected and obeyed the central leadership, and followed every instruction by the central leadership of the BJP. He concluded that Eknath Shinde has acted as a true Mahayuti leader. 

In the Maharashtra assembly election, the Mahayuti coalition won 230 out of 288 seats. The BJP secured the highest 132 seats, making Devendra Fadnavis the favourite for the CM’s post.

Eknath Shinde became the chief minister of Maharashtra in 2022, after engineering a vertical split in Shiv Sena and joining hands with the BJP. He resigned on Tuesday.