Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge called on Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, who is also the Rajya Sabha chairman, to reject the report, calling the JPC proceedings undemocratic.
Published Feb 13, 2025 | 11:33 PM ⚊ Updated Feb 13, 2025 | 11:33 PM
Synopsis: A JPC report on the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024, which proposes major changes to Muslim charitable property governance including mandating non-Muslim members on state Waqf boards, sparked chaos in Parliament as opposition parties staged walkouts claiming their dissenting views were excluded from the final document. Opposition leaders criticised the process as undemocratic and rushed, while Union Minister Kiren Rijiju defended the report’s integrity.
Chaos erupted in Parliament on Thursday, 13 February, over the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) report on the contentious Waqf Amendment Bill, 2024, with opposition parties staging walkouts from both houses after alleging their dissenting views were deliberately excluded from the final document.
The 655-page report, which recommends sweeping changes to the governance of Muslim charitable properties, was tabled by JPC chairperson and BJP MP Jagadambika Pal in the Lok Sabha.
“One night to read the 655-page report…We had hardly any time to present our objections,” Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi told PTI after the session. “If you check the minutes of the meetings, you will find that there was no clause-by-clause discussion. We have been all part of many JPCs, and clause-by-clause discussion is most important, but it was bypassed. Under whose influence is the chairman acting?”
Responding to the protests, Union Minister Amit Shah said the Opposition’s concerns would be addressed through appropriate parliamentary procedure.
“Opposition members have objected to the report, saying that their disputes have not been included. On behalf of our party, I request that the opposition’s disputes be appropriately incorporated into the parliamentary procedure. Our party has no objection to this,” he told Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla.
The controversy centres on the bill’s proposals to fundamentally restructure Waqf board administration, including mandating non-Muslim members on state Waqf boards and empowering government officials to arbitrate disputes over property status.
The JPC adopted the report on 29 January with a 15-11 majority vote, approving 14 amendments proposed by ruling NDA members while rejecting all opposition suggestions.
In the Rajya Sabha, Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge called on Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Rajya Sabha chairman to reject the report. “Many MPs have given their dissent notes in the JPC of the Waqf Board, but they were removed from the proceedings. This is undemocratic. This House will not accept this fake report,” Kharge said, later posting on X that the opposition would “raise our voice against injustice in the interest of the country.”
वक्फ बोर्ड की JPC में अनेक सांसदों ने अपने Dissent notes दिए हैं, लेकिन उन्हें कार्यवाही से निकाल दिया गया।
यह अलोकतांत्रिक है। ये सदन इस फर्जी रिपोर्ट को नहीं मानेगा।
मेरा अनुरोध है कि अगर इसमें Dissent notes हटाए गए हैं तो रिपोर्ट को वापस JPC में भेजा जाए और इसमें संसद… pic.twitter.com/Z0ZB2nnkBc
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) February 13, 2025
The controversial bill proposes significant changes to the 1995 Waqf Act, including new arbitration mechanisms for property disputes and enhanced powers for government officials in Waqf administration. Critics argue these changes could dilute the autonomous character of Waqf institutions guaranteed under Article 26 of the Constitution.
TMC MP Sushmita Dev accused the government of censoring opposition views. “A select committee is formed so that every party’s MPs have the right to express their opinions. But what they have done is censor the dissent notes in the Waqf report they tabled,” she told PTI. “If the country does not even get to know what the opposition parties said or what their views were, then how can this be called democracy?”
Hon’ble Minister of Minority Affairs, Shri Kiren Rijiju today in Parliament appreciated the support and contribution of the Secretary and other officials of the ministry to the JPC on Waqf. #ministryofminorityaffairs #bhagidarisebhagyoday @KirenRijiju @RijijuOffice… pic.twitter.com/W2hynxmrEY
— Ministry of Minority Affairs (@MOMAIndia) February 13, 2025
Meanwhile, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju defended the report’s integrity in the Rajya Sabha, stating that all dissenting views were included in the appendix. “There’s no deletion, there is no removal of any part of the report,” he told VP Dhankar in the Rajya Sabha. “Don’t mislead the house. The members of the Opposition are making unnecessary issues by raising an issue that is not fact.”
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
