JPC report on Waqf Bill tabled in Lok Sabha: Key amendments and why Opposition is protesting

According to reports,14 amendments were adopted by the panel while 44 others were rejected

The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on Thursday tabled its report on the Waqf Amendment Bill in Lok Sabha.  JPC Chairman and BJP MP Jagadambika Pal tabled it in the Upper House.

Earlier, the Rajya Sabha witnessed a massive showdown after the JPC tabled it there.

It triggered an uproar by the Opposition which alleged removal of their “dissent notes”. The Congress refuted the charge, stating that no notes have been redacted.

The Centre, however, highlighted that the JPC chairman has the discretion to take down the portions.

In January, the JPC cleared the proposed legislation, paving the way for it to be taken up in Parliament for discussion.  However, the Opposition

According to reports,14 amendments were adopted by the panel while 44 others were rejected 10:16 by a voice vote. The 14 amendments approved were part of 23 proposals tabled by the NDA members. On the other hand, none of the 44 amendments moved by the Opposition members were accepted. The JPC on the Waqf Bill comprises 31 members from both Houses of Parliament. These include 16 from the NDA, including 12 from the BJP; 13 from Opposition parties, 1 from the YSRCP, and 1 nominated member.

•Right to appoint officer to determine whether a property is Waqf or not given to the state govt instead of the District Collector in proposed bill

• Mandatory clause to include 2 non-Muslims in Central Waqf Council and state Waqf Boards dropped

• Proposes change in the composition of the Waqf Board by increasing it to three members, including a scholar

•Anybody wishing to donate land must "show or demonstrate that she/he is practicing Islam for at least five years" and also acknowledge "...there is no contrivance involved in the dedication of such property"

The Opposition alleged removal of their “dissent notes”. The government refuted the charge, stating that no notes have been redacted.

The Centre, however, highlighted that the JPC chairman has the discretion to take down the portions that malign the committee.

The Opposition staged a walkout over the issue, drawing a sharp reaction from Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar who said that the Opposition “was not walking out from the Rajya Sabha but from their constitutional obligation”.

The government sources said that only those parts of the dissent notes of the Opposition have been deleted that made “unparliamentary remarks” against JPC chairman and BJP MP Jagdambika Pal. “The dissent notes are part of the report,” sourcestold News18.

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju met with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and opposition MPs, and decided that the dissent notes of Opposition members would be included in the report in their original form.

Addressing the House, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that it was not right to “bulldoze our views” in the JPC report and declared that the Opposition will not accept the “fake report”.

He suggested that the report be sent back to the JPC and presented again after the inclusion of all dissent notes.