Trinamool’s Abhishek Banerjee serves legal notice to ISF MLA Nawsad Siddique

Trinamool's Abhishek Banerjee sends legal notice to ISF MLA over false statements on Lok Sabha vote.

The Trinamool’s National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee sent a legal notice to Indian Secular Front (ISF) MLA Nawsad Siddique on Saturday (April 5, 2025), demanding he retract “false and misleading statements” about Mr. Banerjee being absent during the Lok Sabha vote for the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025 and the Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, 2025. 

For context, the Parliament cleared the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, in the wee hours of Friday. The Bill reportedly aims to enhance “the efficiency of the administration and management of the waqf properties,” but concerns have been raised by Opposition parties on whether this law would interfere with the religious practice and donations of the country’s Muslim community.

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The legal notice, sent on Saturday (April 5) by Mr. Banerjee’s lawyer, Sanjay Basu, points to recent statements made by the Bhangar MLA in which he raised questions on whether Mr Banerjee was present in the Lok Sabha during the voting process for these two aforementioned bills. 

“Was Abhishek Banerjee present in Parliament? I was watching the video for quite some time. I’m trying to find out how many MPs from Trinamool were present in Parliament and how many were absent. What action has the Trinamool Congress taken against them?” Mr Siddique was quoted as saying.

In the legal notice, Mr Banerjee’s advocate called the MLA’s comments “false and misleading” and accused him of “misleading the fellow Muslim population and the people of West Bengal” into believing that Mr Banerjee was not present in the Lok Sabha when the voting process was underway.

With the legal notice, Mr Basu had reportedly enclosed a picture of Mr Banerjee in the Lok Sabha on April 3.