On Thursday, a report about the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 was presented in Parliament, causing a lot of noise and disagreement. The report was shared by Medha Vishram Kulkarni, a member of the Joint Committee of Parliament (JPC), in the Rajya Sabha.
The JPC chairman, Jagadambika Pal, presented the same report in the Lok Sabha, but the session was temporarily stopped because of protests from opposition members. These members claimed that the JPC was unfair and that their differing opinions were left out of the report. However, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said that all opinions were included.
Opposition leaders expressed strong feelings against the report. Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge criticized the report for not including their dissent notes, calling it anti-democratic. He insisted that the report be sent back for a proper review.
In the Lok Sabha, members of the opposition decided to walk out because they were unhappy with the handling of the report. Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi pointed out that they were given only one night to review a 655-page document, which was not enough time.
AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi argued that the Waqf Bill goes against the Constitution. He claimed it wouldn’t protect Waqf but instead harm it.
Kiren Rijiju responded, saying that all dissent opinions were included and that it was not right to call the report illegal. Union Home Minister Amit Shah said his party had no problem with adding opposition views if necessary.
Jagdambika Pal questioned why the opposition walked out after assurances that their opinions would be included.
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