The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) report on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill was presented in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, after which there was a huge uproar in the House. Opposition parties raised loud slogans and accused the government of weakening the Waqf boards. The Chairman had to postpone the proceedings of the House due to the ever increasing uproar. It is noteworthy that earlier on January 31, the committee submitted its report to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, which was personally submitted by the committee chairman Jagdambika Pal to the Parliament House.
Opposition was already angry
The Joint Parliamentary Committee passed the report with a majority of 15–11, including the amendments suggested by MPs. However, the opposition raised strong objections to these changes and accused the government of abolishing the autonomy of Waqf boards. Opposition parties also handed over disagreement letters, stating that the government is forcibly imposing this bill and ignoring the opinion of the Muslim community.
Attack on Muslim community rights: Opposition
Opposition parties say that this bill is a direct attack on the constitutional rights of the Muslim community and efforts are being made to make unnecessary intervention in the works of Waqf boards. On the other hand, BJP MPs dismissed the allegations, saying that this amendment has been brought to ensure transparency and accountability in the management of Waqf properties. According to him, the government is not carrying this bill forward with the intention of limiting the rights of a community, but with the aim of better monitoring and administrative reforms of Waqf properties.
