The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on Waqf has adopted its draft report and an amended revised bill, amidst strong opposition and dissent from several members.
The committee’s chairman, Jagdambika Pal, announced the adoption on Wednesday, stating, “Today, we have adopted the report and the amended revised bill. For the first time, we have included a section stating that the benefits of Waqf should go to the marginalized, poor, women, and orphans. Tomorrow, we will present this report to the Speaker.”
He further elaborated on the process, mentioning that the committee considered 44 clauses, with amendments proposed in 14 of them. “We conducted a majority vote, and these amendments were then adopted,” he added.
Despite the adoption from the JPC, the bill has faced opposition from members of the Opposition parties, who have submitted a dissent note on the bill.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi criticized the bill and announced his intent to oppose it during its discussion in the upcoming Budget Session of Parliament.
“Last night, we were given a 655-page draft report, and it is humanly impossible for anyone to read such a lengthy report in such a short time and give their opinion. Nevertheless, we made an effort and submitted our dissent report,” Owaisi said.
Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee also expressed strong objections to the report. “I have given my dissent note… We received a 656-page draft yesterday around 7:55 pm… The observation and recommendation of the committee in this report are wholly perverse.”
Banerjee further added, “Statements of the victims have not been taken into consideration. What we said during the course of deliberations has not been taken into consideration… The question that arises is, whether the stakeholders’ view which we have expressed, why did it not appeal to the chairman. According to me, the JPC proceedings have turned into mockery… All other views have been totally ignored.”
The Waqf Amendment Bill, 2024 is likely to be tabled in Parliament during the upcoming budget session.