The highly debated Waqf (Amendment) Bill, which was tabled by the Narendra Modi-led government in the Lok Sabha (Lower House of the Indian Parliament), was cleared after a lengthy debate in the wee hours of Thursday, media reports said.
The bill was passed after a 12-hour marathon debate with 288 votes in its favour.
It was opposed by 232 members present and voted in the Lok Sabha.
The hours-long debate over the bill went on throughout Wednesday and witnessed a stiff confrontation between the treasury and opposition benches.
While the government claimed the bill would be beneficial for the minority community, the Opposition called it “anti-Muslim”.
Indian Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday said several important public properties, including the Parliament building, would have been taken over by the Waqf board had the previous Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government continued its rule.
Rijiju, who is also the Minority Affairs Minister, said, “A case has been going on since 1970 in Delhi. Delhi Waqf board had claimed several properties, including CGO Complex and Parliament building. While the matter was subjudice, the then UPA government had handed over the entire land to the Waqf board by notifying.”
“If we hadn’t brought an amendment bill, 123 properties including this Parliament building would have been claimed by the Waqf board. We have no idea how many properties would have been notified if the Narendra Modi government had not come and UPA continued its rule,” he added.
Indian Home Minister Amit Shah presented a long list of properties that he said were given for Waqf and said the proposed changes would stop irregular land grabbing.
“Properties in (Delhi’s) Lutyens zone went to Waqf, and they started taking over government land… In Tamil Nadu, a 400-year-old temple property was declared as Waqf’s. Land for a five-star establishment was given to Waqf for 12,000 a month,” he said.
The amended Waqf bill, he said, would be instrumental in stopping this.
“This bill will protect property. Like ASI property, Tribal land, private property and for Waqf, you can only donate private, personal property and not the land of the community (village). This bill will bring transparency,” he said.
Hitting out at the government, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said, as quoted by NDTV, “Today the condition of minorities has become such the government will give a ‘certificate ‘of their religion. Will they ask for certificates from other religions also… whether they have completed five years? Why is this being asked of Muslims? Why is the government interfering in religion?”
Samajwadi Party chief and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday slammed the government in the Lok Sabha saying the ruling saffron outfit does not have the right policies and intentions on the issue.
He said the bill has been made to hide the failures of the current regime.
“Whenever the BJP introduces a new bill, they are hiding their failure,” Yadav was quoted as saying by the UNI news agency in the Lok Sabha.
The bill will now be tabled in the Rajya Sabha by the government for a debate. As per reports, eight hours have been allotted for the debate in the upper house of Parliament.
Waqf Amendment Bill 2024
On August 8, 2024, two bills, the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, and the Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, 2024, were introduced in the Lok Sabha with an aim to streamline the Waqf Board’s work and ensure the efficient management of Waqf properties.
The objective of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, is to amend the Waqf Act, 1995, to redress the issues and challenges in regulating and managing Waqf properties.
The Amendment 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 by introducing changes such as renaming the Act, updating the definitions of waqf, improving the registration process, and increasing the role of technology in managing waqf records.
The primary objective of the Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, 2024 is to repeal the Mussalman Wakf Act, 1923, a colonial-era legislation that has become outdated and inadequate for managing waqf properties in modern India.
The repeal aims to ensure uniformity, transparency, and accountability in the administration and management of waqf properties under the Waqf Act, 1995, thus eliminating inconsistencies and ambiguities caused by the continued existence of this redundant law.
