In a majority, the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), which is scrutinizing the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, adopted its draft report on Wednesday, as well as the amended version of the proposed law. Referring to the opposition’s demand for allowing dissent, Chairman Jagdambika Pal said the committee set up by the Rajya Sabha chairman had got 4 PM to submit dissent notes from the opposition.
BJP and NDA lawmakers put forth all amendments that the committee carried out, while opposition parties rejected the amendments. However, opposition MPs are unhappy at this decision, and plan to formally submit their dissent reports.
A draft bill of more than 600 pages was circulated to the committee members on Tuesday for review. But opposition parties, including Congress, AIMIM, TMC, Shiv Sena (UBT), and left-wing groups, criticized the committee’s rejection of their suggestions.
Saying the bill is being used as a political weapon to gain political mileage rather than deliver justice, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant criticized the bill. He also expressed apprehensions about temples’ regulation if non-Muslims are included in the Waqf Board as it would also affect the Waqf Board. The bill is being written ‘in a manner which violates constitutional principles,’ Sawant said.
Even AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi voiced his opposition, saying that the amendments would not benefit the Waqf Board. But he added that the report, which is 650 pages long, was signed off by the committee late at night, making it impossible for committee members to review and draft dissent notes in time. Owaisi criticized the amendments and warned that the amendments could erode the Waqf Board.
Despite these objections, the JPC has, however, approved the amended Waqf Bill, and the government has moved on with its legislative agenda. But the opposition continues to stand in opposition to the changes.
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