Congress Lok Sabha MP KC Venugopal on Thursday submitted a notice to oppose the introduction of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 in the Lok Sabha.
Congress MP Mr Hibi Eden also gave notice to oppose the bill. The Samajwadi Party will also oppose the Waqf Bill in Parliament.
Notably, the BJP-led government is slated to introduce the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 in the Lok Sabha on Thursday to amend the Waqf Act, 1995. The bill seeks to “effectively address issues” related to the powers of the State Waqf Boards, registration and survey of waqf properties and removal of encroachments. The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 is listed for introduction by Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju in Lok Sabha.
Congres MP K Suresh who is the party’s chief whip in the Lok Sabha said that the opposition is not in favour of the bill.
“In the meeting of the Business Advisory Committee, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju told us that the government will introduce the Waqf Act Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha today after the Question Hour. Opposition parties including Congress, TMC, NCP (SCP), Samajwadi Party and DMK opposed the bill. We said in the meeting that this is a hasty decision. Without any discussion with the concerned Muslim organizations and the concerned stakeholders, you are bringing this bill for some political gain or polarization in the upcoming elections. The government is not ready to withdraw its proposal. We demanded that this bill should be sent to the Standing Committee for evaluation or thorough verification… The entire opposition is strongly opposing this bill,” Suresh said.
Congress MP Manickam Tagore said, “Parliament is functioning peacefully and the Parliament is discussing many important things including the budget and all other things. The government wants to have a diversionary tactic. The government wants the budget not to be discussed…We will ask for these amendments to be referred to the Standing Committee…”
Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) MP ET Muhammed Basheer said that the issue is serious as the government is attempting to capture the rights of the Waqf Board.
“It is going to be tabled today and we will surely oppose it vehemently. I think everybody is united in this… I feel that some of them who are giving support (to govt) may also join us in this protest. The issue is very serious, they are capturing the entire rights of the board and handing it over to the government,” Basheer said.
Apart from introducing the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, Kiren Rijiju will also introduce The Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, 2024 which seeks to repeal the Mussalman Wakf Act, 1923. The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, Waqf Act provides for the renaming of the Waqf Act, 1995, as the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Act, 1995
It seeks to clearly define “waqf” as waqf by any person practising Islam for at least five years and having ownership of such property and ensure that the creation of Waqf-alal-aulad does not lead to the denial of inheritance rights to women.
It also seeks to omit the provisions relating to the “waqf by user”, provide the functions of the Survey Commissioner to the Collector or any other officer not below the rank of Deputy Collector duly nominated by the Collector for the survey of waqf properties, provide for a broad-based composition of the Central Waqf Council and the State Waqf Boards and ensure representation of Muslim women and non-Muslims.
According to the statement of objects and reasons, the bill seeks to provide for the establishment of a separate Board of Auqaf for Boharas and Aghakhanis.
It provides for the representation of Shia, Sunni, Bohra, Agakhani and other backward classes among Muslim communities, streamlining the manner of registration of waqfs through a central portal and database and providing for a detailed procedure for mutation as per revenue laws with due notice to all concerned before recording any property as waqf property.
The bill seeks to omit section 40 relating to the powers of the Board to decide if a property is waqf property, provide for filing of accounts of waqf by mutawallis to the Board through a central portal for better control over their activities, reform the Tribunal structure with two members and provide for appeals against the orders of the Tribunal to the High Court within a specified period of ninety days.
