On Monday, the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) examining the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, adopted all amendments proposed by the ruling BJP-led NDA members and rejected every change moved by opposition members in a clause-by-clause discussion. BJP MP Jagdambika Pal, who led the Parliamentary panel, said the amendments moved by the NDA members in 14 of the Bill’s clauses have been accepted.
Some amendments also comprise of allowing state government officials, along with district magistrates, to be appointed for certain roles and increasing Waqf tribunals members from two to three members. The clause-by-clause voting saw 16 MPs from the ruling government voting in favour of the amendments, while 10 opposition members voted against them. The opposition’s amendments, spanning all 44 clauses of the Bill, were defeated by the same 10:16 majority.
The JPC announced that the draft report will be circulated by January 28 and will then be formally adopted on January 29. Opposition MPs criticised the meeting’s proceedings and accused Pal of “subverting” the democratic process. TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee said, “It was a farcical exercise. We were not heard. Pal has acted in a dictatorial manner”.
Pal rejected the charge, and said the entire exercise was democratic, and the majority view prevailed. The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, was introduced in the Lok Sabha on August 8 by Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju.
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