Opposition MPs Boycott Parliamentary Committee Meet On Waqf Bill

The Opposition MPs have boycotted the Joint Parliamentary meeting to discuss the Waqf amendment bill and wrote to the Speaker demanding that the Committee chairman Jagdambika Pal be removed. Alleging that the Committee is biased, they have sought time from the Speaker to discuss the issue.

The Opposition members have alleged that a presentation on the bill by Anwar Manippadi, former Chairman of Karnataka State Minorities Commission and Karnataka Minorities Development Corporation, was not about the Bill. Mr Anwar, they alleged, was just using the occasion malign the Karnataka government and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge.

"We have boycotted because the committee is not functioning with the principles and norms of the committee. In terms of ethics and principle, they are wrong," said Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant.

Besides Mr Sawant, Congress's Gaurav Gogoi and Imran Masood, AIMIM's Asaduddin Owaisi, Samajwadi Party's Mohibbullah, DMK's A Raja and Aam Aadmi Party's Sanjay Singh, were seen storming out of the meeting. The meet headed by Mr Pal continued as the Opposition MPs met to discuss their next move.  

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on August 8 and amid massive objections from the Opposition, was referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee. The committee -- which has to submit its report to the Lok Sabha by the end of the first week of the next parliament session -- is now holding a series of informal discussions with various stakeholders.

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, seeks to bring sweeping reforms, introducing digitisation, stricter audits, transparency, and legal mechanisms to reclaim illegally occupied Waqf properties. The current law, dating back to 1995, is seen to have many loopholes that allow corruption and mismanagement of Waqf properties.  

The proposed amendment has two key parts -- for the first time, provision for inclusion of women in Waqf boards; and ensuring that the land is verified before it is announced as Waqf property.