Waqf Bill Report Accepted in Rajya Sabha Amid NDA vs Opposition Showdown; ‘Portions of Dissent Notes Removed from Report’, Allege Opposition MPs

New Delhi: The report of the joint committee on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, was tabled and subsequently accepted by the Rajya Sabha amid massive protests by the opposition, forcing chairperson Jagdeep Dhankhar to briefly adjourn proceedings on Thursday.

As soon as the report on the Bill, which aims to streamline registration of Waqf properties, was tabled by Rajya Sabha MP Medha Kulkarni, opposition MPs claimed that portions of dissent notes were removed and resorted to sloganeering.

The uproar continued as Dhankhar tried to read out a message from the President as proceedings resumed. The opposition eventually staged a walkout of the Rajya Sabha during the discussion on the report.

Leader of Opposition and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said the opposition would not accept “fake reports” that “bulldoze our views”. The Congress chief demanded that the report be sent back to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) and presented again.

“In the JPC report, many members have their dissent report. It is not right to remove those notes and bulldoze our views. This is anti-democracy… We will never accept such fake reports. If the report does not have dissenting views, it should be sent back and presented again,” Kharge said.

In a show of unity among the opposition, several INDIA bloc MPs also backed Kharge. Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant claimed that clause-by-clause discussions were never held in the meetings of the JPC. “Because of this, we gave a dissent note. They have removed the dissent note we gave,” he said.

Countering Kharge’s claims, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said the dissent notes were attached in the appendix of the report and accused the opposition of misleading the House. “There is no deletion or removal from the report… The members of the Opposition are creating an unnecessary issue,” he said.

Hitting out at the opposition, Union Minister and BJP president JP Nadda said “some were trying to fight the Indian state” – a seeming reference to Rahul Gandhi’s controversial remark last year. Last year, Gandhi had said that the Congress was not only fighting the BJP and the RSS, but the “Indian state” as well.

WHAT IS THE WAQF BILL?

The legislation proposes a complete overhaul of the governance of Waqf boards, which oversee properties donated for religious and charitable purposes by the Muslim community.

Among the key provisions of the bill are the inclusion of at least two non-Muslim members on state Waqf boards and arbitration by a government official to decide whether a property is Waqf property or not.

The final report of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) was presented to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on January 30 after months-long deliberations. The amended revised bill was adopted by the panel on January 29. While 14 amendments proposed by the ruling NDA members were approved, the changes suggested by the opposition MPs were rejected. (via. IT)