Govt To Table Waqf Bill On Wednesday, Oppn Braces For Standoff

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, is expected to be tabled in Parliament tomorrow, with both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress issuing whips to their MPs to ensure their presence in the House for the next three days.

With the parties in both the ruling BJP-led National Democratic Alliance and the Opposition INDIA bloc showing no signs of bipartisan consensus building, the final outcomes may be decided on the majority numbers on the floor.

In line with the BJP and Congress, their allies have also issued a whip to all their MPs to be present in the parliament on April 2 and 3.

Shiv Sena issued a 3-line whip to all its MPs of Lok Sabha to be present in the House on April 2 and 3 and support the government’s stand. Union Minister Chirag Paswan, who leads the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), also issued a 3-line whip to all its MPs in the Lok Sabha to be present in the House.

However, INDIA bloc floor leaders’ held a meeting in Parliament to discuss the strategy over the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, which is set to be tabled tomorrow.

The Oposition has been vocal in its criticism of the Waqf Bill, with Samajwadi Party (SP) chief whip Dharmendra Yadav issuing a 3-line whip to all its MPs in the Lok Sabha to be present in the House on April 2 and participate in discussions on the Waqf Amendment Bill.

After the meeting of opposition parties, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, in a post on X, said that all the Opposition parties are united and shall work together on the floor of the Parliament to defeat the unconstitutional and divisive agenda of the Modi government on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill.

Congress MP Pramod Tiwari said that the bill is against the basic spirit of the Constitution, terming it an attempt to divide the country.

“This bill is against the basic spirit of the Constitution. This is an attempt to divide the country. The INDI alliance will reject any such attempt with full force, will oppose it with full force. It is clear that the BJP does not believe in the Constitution. Today, the whole country is looking towards Nitish Kumar, Chandra Babu Naidu and Chirag Paswan. Tomorrow everyone’s faces will be exposed,” he said.

On Waqf Amendment Bill, RJD MP Misa Bharti said, “We have got to know that the Waqf Bill is likely to be tabled tomorrow. Our stand is clear; we are against it. The JDU should also make their stand clear as well, as the people of the state are looking up to them.”

CPI-M MP John Brittas stated that the INDIA alliance will take a strong position against the bill, claiming that the proposed legislation will create polarisation in society.

“The INDI alliance’s stand is clear on this matter; we will take a strong position against the bill. This bill is there to create polarisation in society. If Muslims are targeted today, other minority communities will be targeted tomorrow,” he said.

CPI MP P Sandosh Kumar said, “The INDI alliance will oppose this bill. We all will participate in the discussion. There will be fiery speeches. The INDI alliance is united in this movement.”

Reacting to the Waqf Amendment Bill, Jan Suraaj party founder Prashant Kishor questioned the silence of the Bihar Chief Minister, JDU Chief Nitish Kumar, saying, “This is an old tactic of Nitish Kumar. He voted in support of CAA-NRC. I was a member of his party at that time. It had been decided in the meeting of the party, and Nitish Kumar had spoken in detail that we strongly oppose this. But in Parliament, a vote was cast in support of CAA-NRC.”

Recalling an instance during the CAA-NRC bill, the Jan Suraj founder said, When I directly confronted Nitish Kumar, he told me to tell journalists that the bill wouldn’t be implemented in Bihar, that he was on a visit and did not know how his leaders voted in Lok Sabha. At that time, I felt that this man was not loyal to anybody, neither to the BJP nor to the Muslims. This is his old tactic to appease and fool all sections. People are watching this character of Nitish Kumar and are over it now.”

AIMPLB spokesperson Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas said, “The way this bill has been brought, in any democratic setup, it is a wrong way. The way the JPC has been conducted is wrong. Other members were not heard in the committee. This bill is anti-constitutional; it is a discriminatory bill…”

BJP MP Basavaraj Bommai said that the bill is as per the Constitution and termed the previous ammendment in the Waqf bill made during UPA government in 2013.

“It is as per the Constitution. The important salient features of Constitution enshrined in it are Article 14 and 15 which speak about equality. However, the amendment brought out by the UPA government in 2013 just before the election for political purpose, it has caused a lot of aberrations where natural justice is totally avoided. So, to bring back natural justice and remove the aberrations of 2013 amendment, this was necessary. It (Bill) will set all anomalies right,” he said.

BJP MP Jagannath Sarkar said, “In democracy, Opposition always speaks against the ruling side, against the Government. But India is secular. So, there should be secularism. Why do you need a Waqf Board? There is no Waqf Board in Islamic nations. If there is Waqf Board in India, there should be something for Hindus too, for Christians too, for Jains. But that is not the case.”

On the Waqf Bill, BJP MP Rameswar Teli said, “They (Opposition) will oppose this bill, but our party has pledged to bring it in. We want everyone to participate in this nicely and hope we will pass the bill.”

The bill aims to amend the Waqf Act, 1995, to address the issues and challenges in regulating and managing Waqf properties.

The Amendment Bill seeks to improve the administration and management of Waqf properties in India. It aims to overcome the shortcomings of the previous Act and enhance the efficiency of Waqf boards by introducing changes such as renaming the Act, updating the definitions of waqf, improving the registration process, and increasing the role of technology in managing waqf records.

The Waqf Act of 1995, enacted to regulate Waqf properties, has long been criticised for issues such as mismanagement, corruption, and encroachments. (ANI)