Rajya Sabha accepts JPC report on Waqf Bill amid Opposition protests

THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK

New Delhi, Feb 13: Amid protests and relentless sloganeering by opposition members, the Rajya Sabha on Thursday accepted the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) report on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024.

BJP MP Medha Vishram Kulkarni tabled the report along with a copy of the evidence presented before the committee on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024.

The Upper House witnessed an uproar following the report’s presentation, forcing an adjournment. However, disruptions resumed soon after proceedings recommenced.

The moment Rajya Sabha MP Kulkarni tabled the report on the Bill, which seeks to streamline Waqf property registration, opposition MPs alleged the removal of portions from dissent notes and began sloganeering.

Congress chief Kharge dismissed the report as an attempt to suppress opposition views, stating it would not be accepted and demanded that it be sent back to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for reconsideration and reintroduced.

Responding to Kharge’s allegations, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju asserted that the dissent notes were included in the report’s appendix and accused the opposition of misleading the House. He denied any removal from the report and asserted that the opposition was unnecessarily raising the issue.

After months of deliberation, the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) submitted its final report to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on January 30. The panel adopted the revised bill a day earlier, incorporating 14 amendments proposed by ruling NDA members while rejecting the changes suggested by opposition MPs.

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, aims to fundamentally restructure the governance of Waqf boards, which manage properties donated by the Muslim community for religious and charitable purposes.