Waqf Bill in Lok Sabha today: TDP vows support to Centre, likely to seek one key change in legislation

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP president Chandrababu Naidu. (PTI)

The Telugu Desam Party, the Bharatiya Janata Party's key ally at the Centre, is likely to seek one change in the Waqf Amendment Bill which will be tabled in the Lok Sabha for discussion and passage on Wednesday.

The Chandrababu Naidu-led party has already announced its support to the Bill and also issued a whip to its 16 Lok Sabha MPs to support the legislation in Parliament.

However, the party will raise the issue of the Bill allowing non-Muslims in state Waqf Boards and demand that the decision on the inclusion of no-Muslims be left to the discretion of the state governments.

"The party will unanimously demand that representation of non-Muslims in the board be left to the discretion of the respective states," The Indian Express quoted a TDP source as saying.

The party has said that it will support all other provisions in the Bill, including the amendment that allows the inclusion of women in Waqf boards, which it termed a "progressive change".

The TDP spelt out its stand after a late night meeting Tuesday which saw Andhra Pradesh CM Naidu consulting legal experts on the provisions of the Bill and its implementation. As per the IE report, the Chief Minister has also engaged with Muslim groups to gauge the acceptability of the key provisions of the amended Bill.

A TDP source cited by IE said that the party's opposition to the inclusion of non-Muslims in the Board should be seen as an assurance that "no major changes will be affected in the Waqf Act" and that the party is only supporting what it sees as "progressive changes" that would benefit the Muslim community.

The TDP sees Muslims as a significant support base and has repeatedly assured the community that it would work in their best interests. "Justice has been done to the Muslim community under TDP rule. And Muslims will be better off with the NDA in power," CM Naidu said at an Iftar held in March.

The BJP, which fell short of a majority on its own in the Lok Sabha elections last year, is dependent on allies to get the Bill cleared in parliament. The TDP and the JD(U), which collectively account for 28 Lok Sabha seats, have extended in-principle support to the Bill during its tabling in August.

The Bill will be tabled in the Lok Sabha at around noon and a duration of eight hours has been set aside for a discussion on the proposed legislation. The Bill will be tabled in Rajya Sabha on Thursday.