NEW DELHI, 30 January (H.S.): Joint Parliamentary Committee Chairman Jagdambika Pal has submitted the report on the Waqf Bill Amendment to Om Birla. This report has been approved by 15 votes. Opposition members have given dissent notes on the report of this committee. Jagdambika Pal, chairperson of the JPC that considered the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, on Thursday submitted the report of the committee to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. On Wednesday, the committee had accepted this 655-page report with majority, in which the suggestions given by the BJP members have been included. Whereas opposition members have called it unconstitutional.
On Wednesday, the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Waqf Amendment Bill adopted the draft report and amended bill. However, opposition leaders also expressed their disagreement with the report. The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on Tuesday approved the Waqf Bill 1995 with 25 amendments in 14 sections. JPC chairperson Jagdambika Pal said, “We have adopted the report and the amended bill. For the first time, we have included a clause stating that the benefits of Waqf should extend to the marginalized, the poor, women and orphans”. He said, “We had 44 clauses, out of which amendments were proposed by the members in 14. We conducted a majority vote and then these amendments were adopted”. BJP MP Dr Radha Mohan Das Aggarwal criticized the opposition and said that it is in their DNA to oppose the government.
BJP MP Tejashwi Surya stressed that the government intends to bring modernity, transparency and accountability in the management of Waqf properties. Also to prevent misuse of law by vested interests who are trying to encroach on land at the cost of social and communal harmony in the country.
However, the action of JPC has been criticized by opposition leaders. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said that when this bill will be discussed in Parliament during the budget session, he will oppose it. He said, “Last night we were given a draft report of 655 pages and it is impossible for anyone to read such a long report in such a short time and give their opinion. Nevertheless, we made an effort and presented our dissent report”. Owaisi further said, “This is not in favour of Waqf. I have been saying from the beginning that BJP has brought this bill against Muslims as per its ideology. Its aim is to harm the Waqf Board and take over their mosques. When this bill is brought in Parliament, we will oppose it there also. If Hindus, Sikhs and Christians can have members of their own religions on their respective boards, then how can Muslims have non-Muslim members on the Waqf Board?”
Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee also said that he has submitted his dissent note on the report. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant said that he has issued the dissent note because the amendments made are against the Constitution.
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill is likely to be introduced during the budget session of Parliament. The budget session of Parliament will begin from January 31 and continue till April 4, while the Union Budget will be presented on February 1.
The Waqf Act 1995, enacted to regulate Waqf properties, has long been criticized for issues such as mismanagement, corruption and encroachment. The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 aims to address these challenges by implementing reforms such as digitization, enhanced audit, better transparency and legal mechanisms to reclaim illegally occupied properties.
Hindusthan Samachar
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