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The Waqf Amendment Bill is set to be introduced in the Lok Sabha today, with opposition parties voicing concerns over its provisions. Samajwadi Party MP Ram Gopal Yadav reiterated his party's opposition to the proposed amendments on Wednesday, describing them as dictatorial and unconstitutional.
"Our party has been opposing this bill from the beginning. The amendments made in the bill are dictatorial and unconstitutional...They are in the majority, and they will get it passed somehow, but we want to have discussions so that the country should know what they are doing," he told ANI. Yadav further added that, "Article 26 states that minorities shall have the right to manage their religious affairs independently, without any interference." Congress MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa also voiced concerns, highlighting India's secular fabric. Randhawa said, "Our country is a secular country, and no particular community should feel that injustice is being done to them. The system that was there should remain the same..." Congress MP Pramod Tiwari said, "The entire opposition had given some amendments to the Waqf Bill that was presented in the Joint Parliamentary Committee, considering its shortcomings, but the government did not agree. If it comes in the same form, then it is against the basic spirit of the Indian Constitution. It is against the unity and integrity of the country. Right now, the Muslim Waqf Board has come, tomorrow it will come against our Sikhs, Jains, Christians." The bill will be tabled after today's Question Hour for consideration and passing. Following that, an 8-hour discussion will be held, which is also subject to an increase. The bill was earlier presented in the Lok Sabha in August of last year, following which a Joint Parliamentary Committee was formed under Jagdambika Pal's leadership for further consideration. The bill aims to amend the Waqf Act of 1995 to redress the issues and challenges in regulating and managing Waqf properties. The Amendment Bill seeks to improve the administration and management of waqf properties in India. It aims to overcome the shortcomings of the previous Act and enhance the efficiency of Waqf boards by introducing changes such as renaming the Act, updating the definitions of waqf, improving the registration process, and increasing the role of technology in managing waqf records. (ANI)
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