Congress and other Opposition parties have opposed the legislation saying that the Joint Parliamentary Committee set up to examine the Bill did not consider Opposition MPs’ suggestions.
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday tabeled the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha amid sloganeering from the Opposition and the House is set to witness a marathon debate as an eight-hour discussion on the bill, subject to an increase, is scheduled.
The Opposition claimed that the Centre is “bulldozing the legislation” as it alleged to not be given the time for amendments since the bill was brought to the notice of the House.
Earlier, all major parties, including the BJP and the Congress, had issued a whip, asking their MPs to be present in the House when the Bill is introduced and participate in the discussions.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rijiju called Wednesday a “historic day” as the Waqf Amendment Bill 2025 was set to be introduced in the Lok Sabha.
Congress and other Opposition parties have opposed the legislation. They have said that the Joint Parliamentary Committee set up to examine the Bill did not consider Opposition MPs’ suggestions. They have alleged that the government is rushing ahead with the Bill.
TDP and JDU, the BJP’s key allies, have considerable support among the minorities. Opposition MPs have warned the NDA allies of consequences if they support the Bill, which has drawn criticism from key minority bodies.
During the debate, N. K. Chandran, an RSP leader from Kerala, raised strong objections to the amendments moved by the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Waqf Bill and slammed the government for ‘bypassing’ the constitutional mandate.
“Additional clauses have been brought in the Waqf bill by the JPC. We are not debating the original bill,” he said.
He questioned the JPC’s right to incorporate ‘new and extraneous’ provisions in the bill and said that it is beyond its ambit and purview to add any clauses.
“Even the Parliament doesn’t have the authority to incorporate a new provision without suspending Rule 81. JPC can recommend the amendments, but it doesn’t have the right to alter the nature of the bill by bringing in changes,” he said.
Home Minister Amit Shah was quick to rebut the Opposition’s charges as baseless and unsubstantiated, stating that if the JPC couldn’t suggest the changes, the whole purpose of due deliberations would stand defeated.
The Waqf Bill was introduced in Lok Sabha in August last year, after which it was referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee that examined it and submitted a report.
The Bill aims to “streamline the Waqf Board’s functions, ensuring the efficient administration of these properties”.
This Bill builds on the 2024 Waqf (Amendment) Bill and the Mussalman Waqf (Repeal) Bill, which were introduced with similar objectives to improve the functioning of the Waqf Board and address ongoing management issues. — With inputs from IANS
