Parliament Monsoon Session- Modi government to introduce Waqf (Amendment) Bill in Lok Sabha, SP to march protest

New Delhi| Waqf Board Amendment Bill will be introduced in the Lok Sabha on Thursday. According to sources, 40 amendments have been made in the bill to rein in the Waqf Board. The opposition has demanded to send the Waqf Board Bill 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 the bill is an encroachment on the rights of Muslims.

Opposition parties on Wednesday urged the government to refer the Waqf (Amendment) Bill to a standing committee of Parliament to look into it after it is introduced. On the other hand, the government said in the meeting of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) that it will take a decision on this after assessing the spirit of the House. The government also said that it will not insist on discussing and passing the bill after its introduction in the Lok Sabha on Thursday.

There is a strong possibility that the government may agree to send this 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 the bill should be sent for parliamentary scrutiny or not. Deputy Congress leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi and Trinamool Congress MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay are among the opposition members who demanded to send the bill to the Standing Committee of Parliament after its introduction. Incidentally, department-related standing committees of the Lok Sabha have not been formed yet. If the government decides on such action then the House may form a separate committee in the absence of a standing committee to consider the bill.

The Bill to amend the law governing Waqf Boards proposes far-reaching changes to the present Act, including ensuring representation of Muslim women and non-Muslims in Waqf bodies. Waqf (Amendment) Bill also provides for renaming of Waqf Act, 1995 to ‘Integrated Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Act, 1995’. The bill was distributed among Lok Sabha members on Tuesday night before it was introduced. According to the Statement of Objects and Reasons of the Bill, the Bill provides for the deletion of section 40 of the existing law relating to the powers of the Board to decide whether a property is Waqf property or not. It provides 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.