Lok Sabha
New Delhi: The Waqf Board Amendment Bill will be presented in the Lok Sabha today. According to sources, 40 amendments have been made in the bill to rein in the Waqf Board. The opposition has demanded that the Waqf Board Bill be sent to the Standing Committee. That is, if a consensus is not reached, then the government can send the bill to the Select Committee. The opposition and many Muslim organizations are opposing this decision of the government. The opposition says that this bill is an encroachment on the rights of Muslims.
Demand to send it to standing committee
Opposition parties on Wednesday urged the government to refer the Wakf (Amendment) Bill to a standing committee of Parliament for its consideration after it is introduced. On the other hand, the government said in a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) that it will take a decision on it after assessing the sentiment of the House. The government also said that it will not insist on discussing and passing the bill after it is introduced in the Lok Sabha on Thursday.
Some Muslim organizations are protesting
There is a strong possibility that the government may agree to send the bill to a parliamentary committee. Some Muslim organizations are opposing this bill. Sources said that some parties supporting the government’s agenda have also expressed their objection to the proposed law. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said in the committee meeting that the government will consider on Thursday whether to send the bill for parliamentary scrutiny or not. Congress Deputy Leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi and Trinamool Congress MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay are among the opposition members who demanded that the bill be sent to the Standing Committee of Parliament after it was introduced. Incidentally, the department-related standing committees of the Lok Sabha have not been formed yet. If the government decides on such action, the House can form a separate committee in the absence of a standing committee to consider the bill.
Many far-reaching changes proposed
The bill, which amends the law governing the Waqf Boards, proposes far-reaching changes to the current Act, including ensuring representation of Muslim women and non-Muslims in Waqf bodies. The Waqf (Amendment) Bill also provides for renaming the Waqf Act, 1995 as ‘Integrated Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Act, 1995’. The bill was distributed among Lok Sabha members on Tuesday night before being introduced. According to the statement of objects and reasons of the bill, the bill provides for the removal of section 40 of the existing law relating to the powers of the board to decide whether a property is a Waqf property or not. It provides for a broad-based structure of the Central Waqf Council and State Waqf Boards and ensures representation of Muslim women and non-Muslims in such bodies. (Input-Bhasha)
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