Refer it to Standing Committee: Supriya Sule

NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule urges the government to either withdraw the Bill or refer it to a Standing Committee of Parliament. She said it is unfortunate that the Opposition had to learn of this Bill and its provisions from the media before its copies were circulated to MPs.

Sule said the Bill has worrisome provisions whose intentions are dubious and asserted that that the Waqf Tribunal has been completely weakened. She also asserted that the Bill has excluded the states from all consultation and powers.

Kiren Rijiju said media reports could be relied upon and that he did not know how the Bill appeared in the media first.

Lok Sabha Om Birla also jumped to the government’s defence, saying the Bill was circulated to MPs yesterday and it was wrong to say the MPs were not informed.