Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla
Credit: Sansad TV via PTI Photo
New Delhi: The reworked Waqf (Amendment) Bill is all set to be brought in the Lok Sabha for passage on Wednesday with a Parliamentary committee allocating eight hours for its discussion in a meeting that saw the Opposition walking out in protest.
Sources said the government would prefer to get the Bill passed in Lok Sabha on Wednesday itself and then bring it in Rajya Sabha the next day, even as the Opposition is gearing up for a confrontation against the draft law, which it claims is an attempt to infringe upon the rights of Muslims.
BJP and Congress have issued a three-line Whip to its MPs to be present in the House in the next three days.
Government claims that the Bill, which has been reworked by incorporating amendments suggested by the Joint Parliamentary Committee, overcomes the shortcomings of the existing Waqf law as well as enhance the efficiency of the administration and management of the Waqf properties.
BJP allies TDP, JD(U) and LJP (Ramvilas) had earlier expressed reservations over some aspects of the Bill but are now backing the BJP after the JPC adopted their amendments.
The meeting of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) chaired by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla witnessed the Opposition vociferously demanding 12 hours for debating the Bill as well as a discussion on President’s Rule in Manipur and detailed deliberations on free and fair elections, sources said on Tuesday.
Attended by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, Congress Deputy Leader Gaurav Gogoi, Congress Chief Whip Kodikkunnil Suresh and DMK’s Dayanidhi Maran among others, the Opposition sources claimed that their demands were not acceded to and were forced to walk out.
Sources said the Opposition MPs, which also included Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Arvind Sawant and Samajwadi Party’s Lalji Verma, demanded that the Bill be allotted 12 hours for discussion. They also raised the issue of not discussing the Proclamation of President’s Rule in Manipur so far.
The Speaker, sources said, told the Opposition leaders that the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address or the Budget was not discussed for that long and how could that much time be allocated for this Bill.
Sources said the Opposition MPs then scaled down their demand to ten hours but that was also not accepted, as the BAC settled for an eight-hour discussion, which prompted an agitated Opposition to walk out of the meeting. Sources said the government also indicated that 12 hours cannot be allotted as there would be a discussion on President's Rule in Manipur.
Rijiju said the debate on the Bill is slated for eight hours, which is “extendable” depending on the sense of the House. “If the Opposition does not want discussion, I cannot stop it…On Wednesday, immediately after the Question Hour, I want to introduce the Bill for consideration and passing,” he said.
Gogoi told reporters they had to walk out in protest as the government was “bulldozing” the agenda and not listening to the Opposition. He said they wanted a debate on the EPIC issue as well as discussions on important ministries like Defence and MEA, as well as on Manipur.
“The House has become completely subservient to the government. It is acting on the whims of the political masters. Space is not given to the Opposition…The House is not of one party but of the People,” he said.
While senior DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran alleged that the Opposition is being continuously “ignored”, Trinamool Congress Chief Whip Banerjee claimed it was a “sorry state of affairs” that when they demand a discussion on issues like Manipur, the response was “where is the time”.
Banerjee alleged that they were told that Manipur could be discussed after passing the Waqf (Amendment) Bill. “You want to discuss it at 11 PM, or midnight? The Lok Sabha’s dignity is being reduced by the central government,” he added.