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Lok Sabha passes Waqf (Amendment) Bill after hours long debate
The bill will now go to Rajya Sabha for another debate with eight hours allocated for the same.
Lok Sabha passed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in the early hours of Thursday, April 3, after an 12-hour-long debate, with 288 members voting for it and 232 voting against.
Track live updates on Waqf bill debate in parliament here.
The hours-long debate saw the ruling NDA defending the legislation as beneficial for minorities, while the opposition described it as "anti-Muslim". The Bill was passed after all amendments moved by the opposition members were rejected by voice votes.
In his reply to the debate, Union Minorities Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said there is no place in the world safer than India for minorities and they are safe because the majority is entirely secular.
The bill will now go to the Rajya Sabha, where another long debate is expected. According to the news agency PTI, eight hours have been allocated for the same.
The revised bill was brought by the government after incorporating recommendations of the Joint Parliamentary Committee, which examined the legislation that was introduced in August last year. The Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, 2024 has also been passed in the Lok Sabha. The debate in the Lok Sabha lasted almost 12 hours.
Kiren Rijiju slams opposition
Union minister Kiren Rijiju slammed the opposition in his reply to the debate, saying that after the bill is passed, the poor in the Muslim community will thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"Crores of poor Muslims will thank PM Modi on the bill being passed," he said.
Rijiju rejected criticism by opposition members that the Bill was "anti-Muslim" and said some members were just not prepared to accept the truth despite home minister Amit Shah nicely elucidating on all issues.
"I want to thank all the leaders for keeping their views regarding the Bill... Some leaders are saying that the bill is unconstitutional, and I want to ask them how they could say that the bill is unconstitutional. If it was unconstitutional, why didn't the court strike it down?... words like unconstitutional should not be used...the Bill is not against the Constitution, as the opposition claimed...We should not use the words 'constitutional' and 'unconstitutional' so lightly," he said.
The bill seeks to amend the Act of 1995. The 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, improving the registration process and increasing the role of technology in managing Waqf records.
