Clarion India
NEW DELHI – Union Minister of Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Thursday agreed to refer the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, to a joint committee of Parliament with representation from across the political spectrum to be constituted by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. He added that he was ready for consultation with stakeholders within the joint House panel once it was formed.
This happened after Rijiju sought to answer questions from Opposition members in the Lok Sabha as they opposed the introduction of the Bill, saying it was “unconstitutional, anti-minority and divisive”.
“I will clear misconceptions about the Bill in detail. There is no interference in freedom of religion guaranteed by the Constitution. This Bill gives rights to those who had not got space earlier. It includes Muslim women and backwards among Muslims who were earlier suppressed,” Rijiju claimed.
Asserting that the Waqf Act, as amended in 1995, did not serve its purpose, Rijiju said, “Some people have captured the whole Waqf Board. We are bringing this Bill to provide justice to all Muslims.”
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill proposes several key changes, including allowing a non-Muslim chief executive officer and at least two non-Muslim members to be appointed by the state government to the Waqf Boards at the state level. It is also proposed to bring the district collector as the arbiter on whether a property is Waqf property or government land.
Members of the Opposition parties opposed the introduction of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, labelling it unconstitutional. The members took objection to non-Muslims being members of the central Waqf governing council in the new Bill, wondering whether Muslims can be members of governing boards of temples like the Ram temple at Ayodhya.
The NDA members, however, lent their support to the Bill, saying it was meant to make the Waqf Board transparent.
Samajwadi Party MP from Rampur Mohibullah Nadvi said, “In Char Dham and other temples, there cannot be a Muslim. In Gurudwara committees, there can only be Sikhs. And this is their right. But why this injustice towards Muslims?”.
Sudip Bandyopadhyay of the Trinamool Congress said that the Bill was violative of Article 14, which ensured equality before law, as it was discriminatory against one religion. “It is against federalism as land is a state subject. In 1962, the SC ruled that the government should not interfere in religion,” he said.
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader Kanimozhi said that the Bill shuns justice in every possible manner, adding, “Would you allow a Muslim or Christian to be on the board of a Hindu temple? Why should somebody who does not believe in a religion have the right to take decisions on behalf of that religion? Now the collector and another authority above them will be deciding whether the property belongs to the government or the Waqf Board. This Bill will destroy what our forefathers dreamt India should be.”
Janata Dal (United) leader and Union minister Rajiv Ranjan (Lalan) Singh defended the Bill, saying, “How is it anti-Muslim? This is not about a temple or a mosque. This is about bringing transparency in an institution, which isn’t a place of worship. Waqf Board is made by law and if it starts malfunctioning, the government has the right to introduce transparency. They are talking about minorities. Who killed thousands of Sikhs here on the streets?”.
