Waqf (Amendment) Bill: BJP's Jagdambika Pal to head JPC. 5 things to know about him

The JPC with 31 members (21 from Lok Sabha and 10 from Rajya Sabha), will submit its report by the end of the first week of the next Parliament session.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Lok Sabha MP Jagdambika Pal will helm the joint parliamentary committee (JPC) to examine the contentious Waqf (Amendment) Bill, PTI reported on Tuesday. 

The JPC has a total of 31 members, 21 from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha, and will submit its report by the end of the first week of the next Parliament session.

New Delhi, July 02 (ANI): Presiding Officer Jagdambika Pal in the Lok Sabha during the ongoing Parliament session, in New Delhi on Tuesday. (ANI Photo/Sansad TV)(Sansad TV)

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 was introduced in Lok Sabha on August 8 referred to the joint parliamentary panel after several opposition members expressed concerns about the Bill’s potential impact on the federal structure and its perceived encroachment on religious autonomy.

With 40 proposed changes, the Waqf (Amendment) Bill seeks to repeal several provisions of the current Waqf Act which governs Waqf Boards. It also suggests significant modifications including measures to ensure representation for Muslim women and non-Muslims in these bodies.

The Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha on August 9 adopted a motion moved by Union minority affairs minister Kiren Rijiju, who also holds the parliamentary affairs portfolio, naming the members to be part of the committee.

As per the notification, 12 members of the panel are from the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) including eight from the BJP and nine from the opposition.

However, in the Rajya Sabha, four MPs are from the ruling BJP, four from the opposition, one from the YSRCP, which has opposed the Bill and one is a nominated member.

Who is Jagdambika Pal | 5 points

1. Jagdambika Pal is a senior member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) who served as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh for one day in 1998.
2. Pal was earlier a member of Congress and resigned on March 7, 2014, and then joined the BJP.
3. Pal is also part of the panel of Chairpersons in the Lok Sabha who oversee the House's proceedings in the Speaker's absence.
4. On July 3, 2011, Jagdambika Pal and other Lok Sabha members unveiled a plaque at Mahua Dabar to commemorate the 1857 British massacre of 5,000 people.
5. In 1997, Jagdambika Pal co-founded the Akhil Bharatiya Loktantrik Congress and became transport minister in the Kalyan Singh government.