JPC meeting on Waqf Amendment Bill, 10 opposition MPs suspended: Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz called the amendment a threat, said – arbitrary power to the Collector in this

After the uproar in the meeting, Trinamool member Kalyan Banerjee and Congress member Naseer Hussain walked out of the meeting.

Opposition members created ruckus in the meeting of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024 in Delhi on Friday. Claimed that he was not given enough time to research the proposed changes in the draft.

Alleged that BJP is insisting on early presentation of the report on Waqf Amendment Bill in Parliament keeping in mind the Delhi elections. TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee said the committee proceedings have become a farce. The committee suspended 10 opposition MPs including Banerjee-Owaisi for a day.

Jammu and Kashmir’s Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq also described the proposed amendment as a threat to the freedom and functioning of the Waqf. He said, ‘In this the Collector has been given arbitrary powers. By issuing orders and changing the entries in the revenue records, Waqf properties have been given full authority to show them as government properties.

He said- These amendments are completely against the Muslim community. This will weaken the basic objective of the Waqf Act. This is a violation of Muslim personal law. This will increase insecurity and distrust in the Muslim community. Because their religious properties will no longer be safe from government interference.

Pal said – Opposition MPs do not want the report to be presented

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi raised questions on the suspension of 10 opposition members from JPC. On this, JPC President Jagdambika Pal said – Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi was not present in the meeting. I had allowed all JPC members to express their views.

He said that when I tried to answer their questions, they raised slogans, made noise, used unparliamentary words and created a lot of ruckus. Opposition MPs) were not allowing the meeting to proceed. He tried to weaken democracy. Stopping the proceedings of the meeting is part of their strategy and they do not want the report to be presented.

BJP MP said – It is a good thing that Mirwaiz lodged objections

BJP welcomed the objections raised by Mirwaiz on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill. JPC member BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal said- Mirwaiz expressed his views strongly. Registered their objections on different parts of the bill. This is the best thing.

TMC MP said – the time of the meeting should be changed

After the meeting held in Lucknow, President Jagdambika Pal said that the last meeting of JPC will be held on January 24. After this, the report will be presented in Parliament during the budget session to be held on January 31. Pal said- In the last 6 months we have held 34 meetings in Delhi alone. JPC All discussions have taken place in a good atmosphere. I hope people will benefit from our report.

Opposition demanded postponement of the meeting

On behalf of the opposition, DMK Chief Whip in Lok Sabha A Raja has demanded postponement of the meeting of January 24 and 25. In a letter to Jagdambika Pal, Raja said, “Needless to say that the JPC visits to Patna, Kolkata and Lucknow were completed on January 21 itself. The strange thing is that the next JPC meeting was held in a hurry without announcing the dates. While the JPC was already on tour.”

Tenure was extended in winter session

The Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill is to present its report during the budget session. The tenure of the committee was extended during the winter session of Parliament. The Waqf Act 1995, enacted to regularize Waqf properties, has been criticized for issues such as mismanagement, corruption and encroachment.

The budget session of Parliament will start from January 31 and continue till April 4. The Central Budget will be presented on 1 February. The Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024 aims to address these challenges by bringing reforms in the legal system including digitalisation, better audit, better transparency and taking back illegally occupied properties.

The first meeting was held on 22 August

Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju had introduced the Waqf Bill 2024 in the Lok Sabha on August 8. Opposition parties including Congress and Samajwadi Party had opposed this bill, calling it anti-Muslim. Amid opposition’s objection and massive protest, this bill was sent to JPC without any discussion in the Lok Sabha.

The first meeting of the 31-member JPC on Waqf Bill amendment was held on August 22. There have been 34 meetings in Akele Dil. ​44 amendments were to be discussed in the bill.

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UP government’s claim – 78% of Waqf land is ours, Bahu-Begum tomb of Ayodhya also

A meeting of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) formed for the Waqf Amendment Bill was held in Lucknow. In which Agriculture Production Commissioner Monica Garg presented her side on behalf of UP government. He told- There are 14 thousand hectares of Waqf land in UP. Out of this, 11 thousand (about 78 percent) is government land. Bada Imambara, Chhota Imambara of Lucknow and the tomb of Bahu-Begum located in Ayodhya belong to the government. However, the Shia Waqf Board opposed it. Read the full news…