New Delhi: It is set to be a stormy day at the Parliament as the Centre looks to discuss the Waqf (Amendment) Bill on Wednesday, amid strong opposition from various political parties and Muslim organisations.
The Opposition MPs have reiterated that they will actively protest the tabling of the Waqf Bill. The Bill, which aims to implement changes to the existing rules of the state Waqf boards, has been a contentious one.
The Centre is slated to table the Bill in Lok Sabha on Wednesday at noon, with eight hours of discussion being assigned for the debate. Earlier, the Opposition had requested a 12-hour discussion on the Bill, which was denied.
Minorities Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju is expected to present the Centre’s position on the subject and reply to the debate, seeking the House’s approval for the Bill’s passage. As of Wednesday morning, a meeting was underway at the Parliament House between Rijiju, BJP Lok Sabha whips and deputy whips on the Waqf Amendment Bill.
As per reports, the whips and deputy whips were instructed during the meeting to ensure the presence of all MPs, right from the introduction of the Bill in the House, until the voting process is completed.
On Wednesday morning, the Congress MPs held a meeting on the Bill, chaired by Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi.
The Lok Sabha number game
A simple majority of 272 is required in the Lok Sabha to pass the Bill in the House. BJP-led NDA holds a majority with 290 of 543 seats in Lok Sabha. BJP alone holds 240 seats.
In comparison, the Opposition INDIA bloc has 235 MPs in all. Of this, Congress holds a mere 99 seats. However, if one were to account for the non-aligned parties such as the AIMIM, YSRCP and Aazad Samaj Party, who are also opposing the Bill, the number of seats goes up to 241. Even by that, NDA holds a clean majority.
The allies have ‘concerns’
However, some NDA members and key BJP allies have voiced their “concerns” over the Bill. The JD(U) and TDP — BJP’s biggest allies — have expressed concerns over certain provisions of the Bill. While they are expected to support it in the Parliament, they are likely to move amendments to certain clauses. According to a report in the Indian Express, TDP has said that it would seek changes in the provision that allows non-Muslims to become members of Waqf boards.
JD(U) MP and the party’s national working president, Sanjay Jha, has said that the provisions of the Bill “should not be implemented with retrospective effect, and there should be no effect on something which has been the way it is in the past”. He went on to highlight Bihar CM Nitish Kumar’s work for the Muslim community and said that the CM has “never allowed anything against the Muslim community to happen”. Bihar goes to the polls later this year with the Assembly elections slated for November 2025.
