Waqf Amendment Bill LIVE | JPC to be constituted for further scrutiny
Bill introduced in Lok Sabha by voice vote after a host of Opposition MPs try to prevent it, calling it against the Constitution
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will hold consultations with leaders of all political parties and constitute a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for further scrutiny of the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024.
The Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha by voice vote on Thursday (August 8). Earlier in the day, when Union minister Kiren Rijiju attempted to introduce the Bill, a host of Opposition MPs tried to prevent it. Congress MP KC Venugopal opposed its introduction, saying it was in violation of Article 26 of the Indian Constitution.
Venugopal said the government has brought a provision that would allow non-Muslims to be members of the Waqf Council. He questioned whether the government would tolerate a non-Hindu on the Ram Mandir trust.
Intended to polarise voters in assembly polls: Venugopal
He accused the government of bringing the bill at this juncture with the Haryana and Maharashtra assembly elections in mind, in order to polarise the voters. The Congress MP asserted that the Bill is an attack on the freedom of religion and also an attack on federalism as the states have not been consulted.
Venugopal also claimed that the provisions of the Bill would create ownership disputes on every Muslim/Wakf property, and that the intention behind the amendment is not noble.
Muslims being singled out: Mohibullah
The Samajwadi Party MP from Rampur, who is a cleric of Delhi’s Parliament Street mosque, Mohibullah also opposed the introduction of the Bill. He too said that the Bill was violative of Article 26 of the Constitution, and that it stood in contrast to similar laws that govern properties of other religions. He said that no other law governing religious properties of Hindus, Sikhs, or Christians allows members of a different religion to be part of their Trusts, but Muslims are being singled out.
TMC MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay next stood up and opposed the Bill, and called it a violation of Articles 14, 25, and 26 and of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution. The MP said the Bill is anti-Constitution, anti-federalism, and divisive.
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