"This will increase transparency, help poor and women": Kiren Rijiju on Waqf Amendment Bill

Speaking to the media, Rijiju stated that all Muslim organizations have been consulted and reiterated that India, as a democratic nation, functions under the Constitution.

"After the Waqf Amendment Bill is introduced in the Lok Sabha, we will take it to the Rajya Sabha. We will explain it in detail. We have met all the Muslim organizations and they also know that the Waqf Amendment Bill is not to usurp Muslim properties. This will increase transparency; it will help the poor and women. This is for a system. How can anyone snatch someone's land? India is a democratic country. This country runs by the Constitution," the Union Minister said.

The Joint Committee of Parliament (JPC) report on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, was tabled in Parliament on February 13 amid uproar.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Medha Vishram Kulkarni presented the report in the Rajya Sabha. She also tabled a copy of the record of evidence given before the panel.

JPC chairman and BJP MP Jagadambika Pal tabled the report in the Lok Sabha amid Opposition sloganeering against the report.

In the Rajya Sabha, Opposition MPs alleged that dissent notes submitted by the Opposition members were not included in the panel's report. Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, however, rejected the allegation.

The JPC which was formed on the bill has adopted the draft report and amended the revised bill on January 29. The committee had earlier cleared the bill with 25 amendments across 14 sections and clauses.

The Waqf Act of 1995, enacted to regulate Waqf properties, has long been criticised for issues such as mismanagement, corruption, and encroachments.

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, aims to address these challenges by introducing reforms such as digitisation, enhanced audits, improved transparency, and legal mechanisms to reclaim illegally occupied properties. (ANI)