On Thursday, opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) voiced strong objections to the report presented by the Joint Committee of Parliament on the Waqf Bill, alleging that it could pave the way for targeting lands belonging to other religious communities. They also criticized the omission of key sections from their dissent notes.
During the Rajya Sabha proceedings, the joint committee’s report on the amendment bill was tabled, leading to a heated debate between the ruling party and the opposition. The session was briefly adjourned due to the uproar. When the House resumed, opposition MPs argued that their dissent notes had been censored, a claim the government denied. This led to a walkout by the opposition members.
Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju defended the decision to remove certain sections from the dissent notes, stating that any portions casting aspersions on the committee had been redacted by established parliamentary rules.
Congress MP Syed Nasir Hussain, a panel member, denounced the report as “one-sided and biased.” He alleged that due procedure was not followed, and non-stakeholders were invited to share their views. According to him, an overwhelming majority of actual stakeholders—about 97-98%—opposed the bill, whereas those who were not directly involved supported it.
Hussain further claimed that the minutes of the meetings, witness responses, and relevant presentations were not provided promptly. The standard practice of committee members deliberating on stakeholder feedback before finalizing the report was also not followed. He pointed out that critical issues were left unaddressed and that opposition members were given very little time to submit their dissent notes. Even after submission, significant portions of their notes were redacted.
Highlighting broader concerns, Hussain warned that if such measures were applied to Waqf properties today, similar actions might be taken in the future against lands belonging to other religious groups, including gurdwaras and temples.
TMC MP Nadimul Haque also condemned the report, noting that a bill aimed at preventing encroachment on Waqf properties was withdrawn. He criticized the government’s stance, questioning their true intentions regarding Waqf land protection. Haque, who was also a panel member, reaffirmed that dissent notes were censored and demanded clarification on the specific parliamentary rules that allowed such redactions.
AAP MP Sanjay Singh, another committee member, stated that due process was ignored during the committee’s meetings. He criticized the inclusion of non-stakeholders in discussions while the perspectives of opposition members were dismissed. According to him, this set a dangerous precedent that could facilitate the takeover of mosque and dargah lands by corporate interests.
JMM MP Mahua Maji echoed these concerns, asserting that the government’s ultimate goal was to seize Waqf properties and that similar actions might extend to other religious institutions in the future.
Congress MP Pramod Tiwari accused the ruling party of systematically targeting religious properties. He emphasized that the INDIA bloc’s resistance to the bill was aimed at safeguarding the interests of all religious communities.
Dismissing the opposition’s claims, Minister Rijiju stated that the committee had functioned commendably. He reiterated that dissenting opinions had not been excluded from the report but clarified that sections that cast unwarranted aspersions on the committee were removed by the chairman, as permitted by parliamentary regulations.
He concluded by emphasizing that it was misleading to suggest that dissenting voices were not acknowledged, maintaining that all views had been considered within the framework of the report.
