“Entire opposition is against Waqf Amendment Bill.” Congress MP K Suresh

NEW DELHI: Congress MP K Suresh on Wednesday said that the INDIA bloc is against the Waqf Amendment Bill and will oppose it in the parliament.

“The entire opposition is against this bill. Our members in the Joint Parliamentary Committee have also decided to oppose this bill. Yesterday, the INDIA bloc leaders unanimously decided to oppose this Waqf amendment bill,” K Suresh said.

Congress’ Khaleequr Rahman slammed centre government over Waqf (Amendment) Bill, saying that the entire exercise is being done in an unconstitutional manner.

Rahman expressed disappointment over Joint Parliamentary Committee proceedings, accusing them of neglecting the recommendations of the opposition.

“The entire exercise is being done in a very unconstitutional manner. The way JPC has gone through the entire process is highly disappointing. It was not expected from the JPC to conduct proceedings like this because all the recommendations which were submitted by most of the JPC members of the opposition parties have not been considered and taken into account, and rather, the BJP is trying to bulldoze things and trying to pass the bill,” Rahman said.m

“We are very clear from day one that we have rejected these amendments, and even our government has rejected this,” he added.

Additionally, Congress leader Atul Londhe also accused JPC of ignoring amendments suggested by the opposition.

“Whatever amendments were mentioned in the JPC by the opposition, those amendments were not implemented. When the bill was placed before the cabinet in the parliament, the opposition’s amendment was not put in it. Then later, there was a ruckus; after that, it was known that out of 44 amendments, 14 were approved. They (Govt) do not want clause-by-clause discussion in JPC. Of the 31-member JPC, 20 are from NDA, and 1 Chairman, that means 21 are from NDA, and 10 are from the opposition,” Londhe said.

Meanwhile, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Vinod Bansal accused opposition of “spreading misinformation” and urged Muslim community to leave “such radical leadership.”

“I want to say let the bill come, read it and then propagate it, but spreading misinformation is not permissible in a democracy. The Muslim community should leave such radical leadership which spreads lies, makes false allegations and attacks the democratic and parliamentary tradition of the country. The Waqf Board has lakhs of hectares of land. But has any Muslim benefited from it till date? Now the government wants everyone to benefit from it, so they have a problem with it. This bill will prove to be an unprecedented pillar for India’s democracy and protection of India’s assets.” Bansal said.

The bill will be tabled after today’s Question Hour for consideration and passing. Following that, an 8-hour discussion will be held, which is also subject to an increase.

The bill was earlier presented in the Lok Sabha in August of last year, following which a Joint Parliamentary Committee was formed under Jagdambika Pal’s leadership for further consideration.

The bill aims to amend the Waqf Act of 1995 to redress 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. (ANI)

Also Read: Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, to be tabled in Lok Sabha tomorrow