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Waqf amendment bill: Lok Sabha passes the legislation after fiery debate
Waqf amendment bill: Union minister Amit Shah told Lok Sabha that non-Muslims in Waqf councils and boards are only for administration, not religious affairs. He dismissed claims of interference in Muslim matters or properties, calling them fear-mongering for vote-bank politics.
- 10:27 PM IST, Apr 2LJP leader Arun Bharti slams Congress over Waqf Bill
- 9:55 PM IST, Apr 2KC Venugopal calls Waqf Bill ‘dangerous and divisive’
- 9:49 PM IST, Apr 2IUML accuses Centre of using Waqf Bill to seize properties
- 9:42 PM IST, Apr 2AIMPLB has filed many objections regarding the proposed amendments, says Maulana Khalid Rasheed Firangi Mahali
- 9:31 PM IST, Apr 2‘Diverting attention from main issues,’ Congress leader PL Punia slams BJP over Waqf Bill
- 9:14 PM IST, Apr 2Stalin urges PM Modi to withdraw Waqf Bill, calls it harmful for Muslims
- 8:33 PM IST, Apr 2BJP slams Congress for opposing Waqf Bill while failing to form Waqf Board, Haj Committee in Himachal
- 8:24 PM IST, Apr 2‘There will be transparency and accountability because of this bill,’ says BJP MP Gulam Ali Khatana
- 8:14 PM IST, Apr 2Delhi minister says, ‘This bill will benefit poor Muslim families’
- 7:15 PM IST, Apr 2‘Congress government handed over 123 VVIP properties in Lutyens Delhi to Waqf,’ says Amit Shah in Lok Sabha
- 6:53 PM IST, Apr 2‘Waqf income meant for minority development is being stolen,’ alleges Amit Shah
- 6:40 PM IST, Apr 2‘No provision to include non-Muslims in managing religious institutions,’ clarifies Amit Shah
- 6:26 PM IST, Apr 2‘Several misconceptions over the bill,’ says Amit Shah in Lok Sabha
- 6:22 PM IST, Apr 2‘Waqf Bill aims to divide India along religious lines,’ alleges Cong MP KC Venugopal
- 6:09 PM IST, Apr 2Andhra Congress chief Sharmila calls Waqf Bill an ‘attack on religious freedom’
- 6:02 PM IST, Apr 2What is the stance of NDA ally TDP on the Waqf Bill?
- 5:56 PM IST, Apr 2‘The bill benefits poor Muslims,’ says UP deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya
- 5:31 PM IST, Apr 2‘Waqf has become a hub of corruption, needs reform,’ says Anurag Thakur
- 5:22 PM IST, Apr 2‘You (BJP) could not register all properties in 10 years, this is an anti-Constitutional Bill,’ says Cong MP Imran Masood
- 5:08 PM IST, Apr 2‘An illegitimate bill focussed only on instigating violence,’ says AAP MP Sanjay Singh
- 4:59 PM IST, Apr 2‘You do not want to do justice to anyone with this Bill,’ Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant slams BJP
- 4:50 PM IST, Apr 2Key changes proposed by the government in Waqf laws
- 4:40 PM IST, Apr 2‘Amendment will benefit the Muslim brothers,’ says Madhya Pradesh Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya
- 4:33 PM IST, Apr 2‘Waqf property is collectively owned by the Muslim community of the country,’ says JKPC President Sajad Gani Lone
- 4:12 PM IST, Apr 2J&K political parties stand against Waqf Bill,
- 4:01 PM IST, Apr 2Speakers who participated in today’s debate
- 3:28 PM IST, Apr 2BJP urges Kerala MPs to support Waqf Bill
- 2:55 PM IST, Apr 2Kiren Rijiju tears into Opposition in debate speech. His top quotes
- 2:41 PM IST, Apr 2Akhilesh Yadav mocks BJP's leadership election, Amit Shah responds
- 2:36 PM IST, Apr 2Security tightened in UP's Muzaffarnagar
- 2:15 PM IST, Apr 2DMK opposes Centre's bill
- 1:44 PM IST, Apr 2BJD to oppose the bill in Rajya Sabha
- 1:38 PM IST, Apr 2Congress' sharp counter to Rijiju's remarks
- 1:22 PM IST, Apr 2How speaker, Amit Shah shut down Oppn's objections
- 1:16 PM IST, Apr 2Kiren Rijiju explains the research that went into the bill
- 12:58 PM IST, Apr 2Kiren Rijiju's big attack on UPA govt
- 12:48 PM IST, Apr 2Delhi AIMIM chief warns of nationwide movement
- 12:27 PM IST, Apr 2Waqf amendment bill tabled in Lok Sabha
- 10:42 AM IST, Apr 2Opposition of bill should be on 'logic' basis, says Kiren Rijiju
- 10:33 AM IST, Apr 2Only big landlords opposing this, says union minister George Kurian
- 10:09 AM IST, Apr 2Clause-by-clause discussion didn't happen in JPC, says Gaurav Gogoi
- 9:50 AM IST, Apr 2BJP leader thanks PM Modi
Waqf amendment bill in Parliament updates: The contentious Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, is being discussed in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, with the House witnessing a showdown between the government and Opposition. The bill seeks to improve the administration of Waqf properties, introduce technology-driven management, address complexities and ensure transparency.
...Read MoreIntroducing the bill, Union minority affairs minister Kiren Rijiju said the consultation process of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) was the largest ever exercise carried out by a parliamentary panel in India's democratic history.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla agreed to an eight-hour debate on the bill, which was extended considering the House's situation and continued until 8 pm.
Senior BJP leaders, including home minister Amit Shah, also participated in the discussion.
Both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress have issued whips to their MPs to ensure their presence in the House. Key NDA allies Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Janata Dal (United), Shiv Sena and LJP (Ram Vilas), also issued whips to their leaders, asking them to back the government's stance.
While the future of the bill's passage remains unknown, it is notable that the BJP-led NDA has 293 MPs in the Lok Sabha, which has a strength of 542 MPs.
Reportedly, TDP, JD(U) and Chirag Paswan-led LJP (Ram Vilas) had initially expressed some reservations over the bill, they seem to have become more accepting after the parliamentary committee's adoption of a few of their insights.
What is Waqf Amendment Bill?
The controversial bill, introduced in the Lok Sabha in August 2024, proposes 40 amendments to the provisions of the Waqf Act.
The amendments suggested modifications such as Muslim women and non-Muslim representation in the Waqf boards and sweeping changes in the regulation and governance of India's Waqf boards.
The bill to amend the Waqf Act, 1995, will make it mandatory for Waqf boards to register their properties with district collectors to ensure their actual valuation. At present, the majority of the Waqf board members are elected, but once the new Bill formally becomes a law, all the members will be nominated by the government.
As per the 1995 Act, Waqf means “the permanent dedication of movable or immovable property for the purposes enshrined in Islam as pious, religious, or charitable."
Waqf Amendment Bill in Parliament | Key points
- The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, taken up for discussion and passage in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. The bill is likely to go before the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. Both the Houses have been allocated eight hours each for debating the proposed amendments.
- A day before the discussion, the opposition INDIA bloc on Tuesday presented a united face and discussed their joint strategy to oppose the Waqf bill. Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and KC Venugopal, Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav, NCP leader Supriya Sule, TMC's Kalyan Banerjee, and AAP's Sanjay Singh were among those in attendance at the meeting
- Opposition leaders have been contesting the bill, describing it as "unconstitutional".
- Following its presentation in the Lok Sabha last year, following which a Parliamentary Committee was formed under the leadership of Jagdambika Pal for further consideration.
