BJD to oppose Waqf (Amendment) Bill

Bhubaneswar: As the Parliament begins a debate on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, Odisha’s opposition party Biju Janata Dal on Wednesday said it will oppose the contentious legislation.

The party said it had made some suggestions to be incorporated into the Bill which were rejected.

The BJD, which has seven members in the Rajya Sabha, will oppose the Bill, BJD’s Rajya Sabha MP and national spokesperson Sasmit Patra told PTI.

The regional party headed by former chief minister Naveen Patnaik, however, has no member in the Lok Sabha.

Stating that BJD Rajya Sabha member Muzibulla Khan will speak on behalf of the party in Parliament during the debate on the matter, Patra said the party is not satisfied with the Bill.

The Centre has amended certain points in the Bill after the JPC, he said.

The BJD leader said the Bill grants sweeping powers to the state government in determining the status of Waqf land, which could lead to undue interference.

Patra also claimed that the absence of legal and institutional support for Waqf bodies exposes them to bureaucratic delays and mismanagement.

This apart, the bill also fails to provide a truly independent appellate mechanism, potentially leading to arbitrary classification of Waqf properties, he claimed.

He reiterated the BJD’s commitment to safeguarding the rights of all communities and ensuring transparent and just governance.