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The Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Waqf Amendment Bill on Wednesday adopted the draft report and the amended revised bill. On January 30, the committee will present the report to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. However, opposition leaders have also submitted their dissent notes on the report.
Speaking to ANI, the chairman of the JPC, Jagdambika Pal said, "Today, we have adopted the report and the amended revised bill. For the first time, we have included a section stating that the benefits of Waqf should go to the marginalized, poor, women, and orphans. Tomorrow, we will present this report to the Speaker." "We had 44 clauses before us, out of which amendments were proposed by members in 14 clauses. We conducted a majority vote, and these amendments were then adopted," he added. BJP MP Dr Radha Mohan Das Agrawal slammed the opposition and said that it is in their DNA to oppose the government. "The report on Waqf Amendment Bill has been adopted by 14 to 11 votes. Various parties have submitted their dissent notes. The report will be submitted to the Speaker tomorrow. It is the Opposition's work to oppose the work done by the govt. It is in their DNA to do so," he said. BJP MP Tejasvi Surya emphasized that the intention of the government was to bring modernity, transparency and accountability in the management of Waqf properties and to also prevent the abuse of the law by vested interests who were trying to encroach upon lands at the cost of social and communal harmony in the country. "Both of these objectives have been met with the amendments that have been passed and the report that has finally been accepted by the JPC. Though the discussions were heated, the final report is a fine document that empowers the Muslim community by bringing in much-needed accountability and transparency in the dealing of the Waqf Board," Surya said. However, the JPC's action ignited criticism from the opposition leaders. AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi said that he will oppose the bill when it will be discussed in the Parliament during the Budget Session. "Last night, we were given a 655-page draft report, and it is humanly impossible for anyone to read such a lengthy report in such a short time and give their opinion. Nevertheless, we made an effort and submitted our dissent report," he said. "This is not in favour of Waqf. I have been saying from the beginning that the BJP has brought this bill against Muslims, according to its ideology, and it is intended to harm the Waqf Board and seize their mosques. When this bill is brought to Parliament, we will oppose it there as well. If Hindus, Sikhs, and Christians can have members of their own religion on their respective boards, then how can you have non-Muslim members on a Muslim Waqf Board?" Owaisi said further. Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee also mentioned that he has submitted his dissent note over the report. "I have given my dissent note... We received a 656-page draft yesterday around 7:55 pm... The observation and recommendation of the committee in this report are wholly perverse. Statements of the victims have not been taken into consideration. What we said during the course of deliberations has not been taken into consideration... The question that arises is, whether the stakeholders' view which we have expressed, why did it not appeal to the chairman. According to me, the JPC proceedings have turned into mockery... All other views have been totally ignored," he said. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant said that they have issued a dissent note because the amendments made are against the Constitution. "Until yesterday, people used to come through elections in Waqf, but now you are removing elections. People will be nominated there, and the central government will do it. If the government can change laws regarding the Election Commission, what will it do here? Today, there is a provision to bring non-Muslims into Waqf, so tomorrow they might do the same in our temples (bringing non-Hindus) because the issue of equality will come up in the Constitution," Sawant said. DMK MP A Raja claimed that the draft report has been adopted in a hurried manner. "Last night we received the draft report by 9.50 pm, how can the Chairman expect that we will submit the dissent note overnight," he said. Congress MP Dr Syed Naseer Hussain said, "Many objections and suggestions were made which have not been included in this report. The government has made the report as per them. Unconstitutional amendments have been brought and the rights of minorities have been harmed. The amendments have been brought to single out the minorities, especially the Muslim community." (ANI)
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