New Delhi:
Jagdambika Pal, chairman of the Joint Committee of Parliament, who is considering the WAQF Bill, said that the committee accepted the draft report and the revised bill by majority. MPs have been given time till 4 pm to register their disagreement. Opposition MPs described the move as undemocratic and claimed that he was given very little time to study the final report and prepare his disagreement note.
All opposition members will give their disagreement
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant said that all opposition members will give their disagreement. The amended version of the proposed law can be handed over to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday. The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 was sent to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on August 8, 2024 after the Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju was introduced in the Lok Sabha.
JPC meeting ends on amendment bill
The Bill aims to amend the Waqf Act, 1995 to resolve issues and challenges related to regulating and managing Waqf properties. The JPC meeting regarding the Waqf Amendment Bill is over. JPC accepted by 14 votes against 11. Earlier, JPC on Monday approved the Waqf Amendment Bill with the proposed 14 amendments by members of the BJP -led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Opposition MPs had made 44 changes
Opposition MPs had presented 44 changes which were rejected and due to this there was an uproar in political parties. On Monday, the Waqf Amendment Bill brought to improve the method of administration of Waqf boards across the country was approved by the JPC by a margin of 16:10 members (16 of NDA and 10 of opposition parties). According to the report, a total of 66 amendments were proposed to the Waqf Bill, including 23 by the ruling BJP MPs and 44 by opposition members.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, JPC President and BJP MP Jagdambika Pal said that this was the last meeting of the parliamentary panel and a total of 14 amendments were approved on the basis of majority. He told reporters, “In the discussion of the last six months, we discussed many amendments. All the amendments were voted and the members gave their verdict, in which 16 voted in its favor while 14 opposed the amendments. . “
Opposition accused the chairman of the committee
The opposition accused the chairman of the committee of bias and inclination towards the ruling party. The opposition also claimed that there is a hurry in the process of Waqf before the assembly elections in the national capital. On Monday, 11 opposition MPs involved in JPC targeted Chairman Jagdambika Pal’s ‘autocratic’ behavior and their haste in accepting the 14 amendments proposed by NDA members.
In a joint statement, opposition MPs said, “The committee has reached the final stages of deliberations. We lodge our opposition to the operations of the opposition and the rules and procedures involved in the proceedings of JPC. ”
(With language and IANS inputs)