The promised eight-hour debate Wednesday on the Waqf Amendment Bill began with a point of order raised by an opposition MP – NK Ramachandran of the Revolutionary Socialist Party – who questioned the authority of the parliamentary committee that scrutinised the proposed law.
Mr Ramachandran rose after the Congress’ KC Venugopal complained about the opposition not being given enough time to study the changed draft bill or present its views in today’s debate.
The RSP MP then pointed out that, by his interpretation of the rules, the committee that was supposed to study the bill should not have introduced changes to the draft as it had not been expressly authorised to do so by the House.
Mr Ramachandran was referring to the 14 changes (all of which had been suggested by MPs from the ruling BJP or allied parties) that were made by the committee.
These changes were cleared by the Union Cabinet in February.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah rose for a brief rebuttal.
Mr Shah said the joint committee – which was led by the BJP’s Jagadambika Pal – had simply offered suggestions that were then accepted and written into the proposed law by the union government and not the committee itself.
The Home Minister also took the opportunity to attack the Congress, declaring that the Waqf Bill committee was not a “rubber stamp committee” like those formed when the opposition party was in power. “Our committees are consultative,” he said.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla then, amid some ruckus and shouting by MPs from both sides, ruled in favour of the government and allowed Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju to present the amended bill.
The Waqf Amendment Bill was first tabled in the Lok Sabha in August last year amid furious protests from the opposition, which slammed the proposed law as “draconian”.
A day later it was sent to the committee, which filed its report in February after claims from opposition MPs on it that their views had been ignored.
The BJP refuted that claims; panel member and Lok Sabha MP Aparajita Sarangi said Mr Pal “tried to hear everybody out and gave sufficient time for everybody to move amendments…”
The JPC held nearly three dozen hearings in six months but many of those ended in chaos, and at least one in physical violence after Trinamool MP Kalyan Banerjee smashed a glass bottle on the table, after claiming provocation from the BJP’s Abhijit Gangopadhyay.
Eventually 66 changes were proposed, of which all 44 from the opposition were rejected while the 23 from BJP and allied parties were accepted. After a vote 14 of the 23 were cleared.
The removal of an annexure containing dissent notes from the opposition MPs triggered another row. The centre said the Chair had the discretion but, after talks, said the dissent notes would be included.
READ | Opposition MPs In Waqf House Panel Say Their Suggestions Ignored
The JPC had 16 MPs from the BJP and allied parties, and 10 from the opposition.
The original draft of the Waqf Amendment Bill had proposed 44 changes.
These included nominating non-Muslim and (at least two) women members to each Waqf board, as well as a Union Minister, three MPs and persons of ‘national repute’. There was also a proposal to limit donations from Muslims practicing their religion for at least five years.
The promised eight-hour debate Wednesday on the Waqf Amendment Bill began with a point of order raised by an opposition MP – NK Ramachandran of the Revolutionary Socialist Party – who questioned the authority of the JPC that scrutinised the bill.
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