Waqf bill report tabled in Rajya Sabha amid opposition uproar
What's the story
The Joint Parliamentary Committee Report on the Waqf (Amendment) bill was tabled in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday amid massive protests by the opposition. The controversial report was tabled by Rajya Sabha MP Medha Kulkarni, a member of the panel. Ahead of the session, opposition MPs had accused the ruling party of deleting dissent notes from the joint committee's report on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill.
Report row
Opposition alleges removal of dissent notes, demands reconsideration
Congress MP Mallikarjun Kharge demanded that the JPC report be taken back unless it includes dissent notes by the Opposition MPs. To these allegations, Chairperson Jagdeep Dhankhar urged Kharge to calm his opposition colleagues. Kharge shot back saying they wouldn't accept "fake reports" that "bulldoze our views," and called for a re-examination by the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC).
Counterclaim
Union Minister refutes allegations of report manipulation
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju refuted Kharge's claims, saying dissent notes were added in the appendix of the report. He accused opposition members of misleading the House by creating an unnecessary issue. "There is no deletion or removal from the report... The members of the Opposition are creating an unnecessary issue," he said.
Bill details
Waqf (Amendment) Bill seeks to streamline property registration
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill seeks to simplify the registration of Waqf properties. The JPC's final report was submitted to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on January 30 after detailed discussions. On January 29, the panel adopted an amended revised bill with 14 amendments suggested by ruling NDA members and rejected the opposition MPs' suggestions.