New Delhi: The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Waqf Bill will meet today at 11am to hold a clause-by-clause discussion on the proposed legislation. Both opposition and ruling party members have proposed 444 amendments to the Bill’s 44 clauses
Main points of contention include the structure of the Waqf Board and provisions for specific sects, such as the Aga Khanis and Shias. Opposition members unanimously argued against separate Waqf boards for these groups.
‘Board must adhere to Islamic practices’
Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi has emphasised that members of the proposed board must adhere to Islamic practices, recommending the inclusion of 3-5 women as mandatory representatives. The opposition are also against the overall framework of the Waqf Board outlined in the Bill.
AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi have submitted 43 amendment notices. The members from the BJP have proposed 16 amendments, with Dilip Saikia and Medha Kulkarni filing three notices each. Aparajita Sarangi, DK Aruna, and Nishikant Dubey have submitted two notices, while Tejasvi Surya filed two notices, and Brij Lal and Sanjay Jaiswal filed one each.
Suggestions from NDA allies
According to sources, NDA allies had also submitted amendment notices for the Bill but withdrew them before the final list was prepared. However, NDA coalition partners may still offer some suggestions regarding the Bill. Technically, it is not necessary for their suggestions to be recorded officially.
The following suggestions might be proposed by NDA allies for the Bill:
- In cases of disputed properties where both parties claim ownership, the property should be transferred to the government through a trust.
- If the proceeds of any Waqf property are used for international activities, such properties should be immediately confiscated.
- Non-Muslims should be appointed in the Waqf Board for management-related activities.
10 opposition MPs suspended in last meet
The meeting is expected to witness unruly scenes after the JPC meet on Friday saw suspension of 10 opposition MPs for a day. They accused chairman Jagdambika Pal of being partisan during the meeting.
TMC’s Kalyan Banerjee, Nasir Hussain and Md Jawed of Congress, DMK’s A Raja and M Abdullah and AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi were among the suspended members. The JPC has to submit its report by the end of the upcoming budget session.
