The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Waqf Amendment Bill approved the draft on Monday, incorporating 14 amendments proposed by members of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
JPC Chairperson Jagdambika Pal confirmed that the amendments were adopted through a majority vote, with 16 members supporting the changes and 10 opposing them.
“44 amendments were discussed clause by clause. After six months of detailed discussions, we sought amendments from all members. This was our final meeting… 14 amendments have been accepted by the committee based on a majority vote. Opposition also proposed amendments, but these were defeated with 10 votes in support and 16 votes against,” Pal said.
The Waqf Amendment Bill seeks to overhaul the Waqf Act of 1995, which governs the management of Waqf properties in India. The bill has sparked controversy, with opposition parties claiming that it undermines the rights of Muslims and threatens India’s federal structure.
BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi explained that the opposition proposed amendments to 43 of the government’s 44 proposals, emphasizing that the discussions were democratic and inclusive. She highlighted that the JPC had held 34 sittings over 108 hours, consulting over 284 stakeholders before reaching a final decision.
“The JPC on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill was held in a very democratic manner. The Chairperson, Jagdambika Pal, made sure everyone had the opportunity to express their views. The proposals by both the opposition and ruling party were debated and voted on. The voting mostly ended 10-16 in favor of the ruling party,” Sarangi said.
BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal added that the committee held a clause-by-clause discussion during the meeting, but opposition members continued to raise concerns even over provisions crucial for improving the bill.
However, opposition leaders strongly criticized the JPC’s handling of the meeting, alleging that they were denied a fair opportunity to voice their concerns and that amendments were pushed through without proper discussion. Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee accused the chairperson of undermining democracy.
“They did whatever they had planned. They didn’t allow us to speak. No rules or procedures were followed,” Banerjee said. “This is a black day for democracy.”
Congress MP Naseer Hussain claimed that most stakeholders who participated in the JPC deliberations opposed the bill, while Samajwadi Party MP Mohibullah described the entire procedure as a “mockery” of democracy.
“The way the procedure was concluded seems like a joke. This bill will not benefit Waqf,” Hussain said.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant echoed similar concerns, stating that the amendments were put to a vote directly without any meaningful discussion. “The amendments we proposed were never explained, just voted on. We will submit a dissent note when the draft report is released on January 29,” Sawant said.
Congress MP Imran Masood accused the ruling party of attempting to seize Waqf properties, calling the bill a complete “ruin” for the Waqf system.
Despite the opposition’s objections, the JPC’s approved amendments bring significant changes to the Waqf (Amendment) Bill. One key change is that the bill now designates a state government officer, rather than the District Collector, to determine if a property is a Waqf property. Additionally, the bill’s provision requiring at least two non-Muslim members on the State Waqf Boards and Central Waqf Council has been modified to specify that these members must be non-Muslims.
The final draft report of the JPC is expected to be released on January 29.
(Inputs from ANI)