Bhubaneswar (Odisha): BJP MP and a member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Waqf Amendment Bill, Aparajita Sarangi alleged that every time JPC held meetings on the Waqf Amendment Bill, the opposition leaders created a ruckus and wanted an extension on the date of the presentation.
Aparajita Sarangi said, "Every time JPC holds meetings on the Waqf Amendment Bill the opposition leaders create a ruckus. They run away from any kind of argument or debate over the proposal of 44 amendments. The government has a reason for any and every kind of amendment. Last time they staged a walkout thrice. The opposition leaders only wanted an extension on the date of the presentation. The Chairman of the JPC, therefore, took the decision to extend the date of presentation to the last date of the budget session in 2025."
"A resolution was therefore passed that the report of the JPC will be submitted before the Speaker of Lok Sabha for placement in Lok Sabha and the time will be extended up to the last day of the budget session of 2025," she added.
Earlier the Lok Sabha adopted a motion, moved by Jagdambika Pal, chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Waqf Bill, for presenting the report by the last day of the Budget Session next year. Opposition members had been seeking an extension of the tenure of the committee.
The motion said that the House extended the time for the presentation of the report of the Joint Committee on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, up to the last day of Budget Session 2025.
The motion was adopted amid din in the House.
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, seeks to introduce sweeping reforms, including digitisation, stricter audits, greater transparency, and legal mechanisms to reclaim illegally occupied properties.
Earlier Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Awadhesh Prasad stated that the Waqf system has historically provided education, food, clothing, and other essentials to underprivileged children.
He further asserted that any interference with Waqf properties would not be tolerated.
"Countless poor children benefit from Waqf, receiving education, food, clothing, and opportunities to earn a livelihood. The BJP's intentions regarding this matter appear dubious. We will not accept any interference with Waqf properties, which ensure protection, health, and income for millions of Indians. If the amendment proposed is against the Waqf, it will not pass," said the Samajwadi Party MP. (ANI)