Joint Parliamentary Committee set for heated discussion on Waqf Bill amendments
New Delhi, Jan 27 - The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Waqf Bill is scheduled to convene on Monday at 11 a.m. to conduct a clause-by-clause discussion of the proposed legislation.
This meeting is significant as both ruling party and opposition members have suggested 444 amendments to the 44 clauses of the Bill, indicating a forthcoming heated debate.
JPC chairman Jagdambika Pal discussed the agenda with VOICE, noting, "In the Waqf Board meeting, the clause-by-clause amendments made by the government will be discussed. The discussion will be completed today."
He highlighted the extensive consultations that took place, stating, "The JPC has engaged with all stakeholders and states over the past six months. Now, the proposed amendments in the Bill by the parliamentarians will be discussed, whether in favour or against."
Pal further asserted that if a consensus is not achieved, the committee will resort to voting. "We will come to a conclusion, and the clause will be cleared," he assured, adding that the JPC report would be submitted promptly, addressing all stakeholder objections.
Key contentious points in the Waqf Bill include the structure of the Waqf Board and provisions for specific sects, such as the Aga Khanis and Shias. Opposition members have voiced strong opposition to the proposal for separate Waqf boards for these groups, causing considerable discord within the committee.
The upcoming meeting is anticipated to be contentious, especially after Friday's session saw the suspension of 10 opposition MPs for a day. These members accused Pal of biased conduct during proceedings.
Among those suspended are TMC's Kalyan Banerjee, Congress' Nasir Hussain and Md Jawed, DMK's A Raja and M Abdullah, and AIMIM's Asaduddin Owaisi.
With tensions running high, the meeting may see tumultuous scenes as the JPC strives to meet its deadline for submitting its report by the end of the upcoming budget session.
