Lok Sabha sits a marathon 15:41 hours to clear Waqf Bill, Manipur President Rule

New Delhi: Lok Sabha sat post Wednesday midnight to clear the contentious Waqf (Amendment) Bill and proclamation of President's Rule in Manipur after a marathon 15:41 hours sitting.

The bill on Waqf seeking to amend the existing Waqf laws was passed with a 288-232 vote after a 12-hour-long debate and a voting process that lasted 1:49 hours while the Manipur debate was finished in 41 minutes.

The Lower House also passed amendments made by the Rajya Sabha to the Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024 just before taking it up. The Question Hour was also conducted in Lok Sabha.

While the Waqf Bill took nearly 14 hours, the Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill was passed in minutes. The debate and voting on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, which started a little after 12 noon Wednesday, ended only at 1:56 AM on Thursday.

Sixty MPs as well as Home Minister Amit Shah participated in the debate that started a little after 12 noon on Wednesday and ended at 12:06 AM Thursday with Minorities Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, who piloted the Bill, replying to the discussions.

All four amendments seeking changes in Waqf (Amendment) Bill, including excluding tribal land and protected monuments from the ambit of Waqf, moved by government were accepted by a voice vote while all amendments moved by the Opposition were negated with one going to a vote.

The Opposition insisted on division of votes on three occasions, including seeking permission to take up the Bill for passing, an amendment and the final passage of the Bill. The opposition could not win any of the votes.

The amendment against the inclusion of non-Muslim on Waqf bodies moved by RSP MP NK Premachandran was defeated by a 231-288 vote. The Bill was passed by 288-231 votes. Opposition MPs had submitted at least 132 amendments and none of them among those moved where accepted.

In an unusual move, the Lok Sabha then took up the proclamation of President's Rule in Manipur at 2 AM in which eight Opposition MPs spoke for about 30 minutes followed by around 10-minute reply by Home Minister Amit Shah. None of the NDA members spoke on the motion though the Opposition objected to taking up the matter at late hours.