'There's no whip': After pledging to oppose Waqf Bill, BJD allows MPs to vote according to conscience

New Delhi: A day after announcing that it will oppose the contentious Waqf (Amendment) Bill in Parliament, the BJD on Thursday said it has allowed its MPs to vote according to their conscience and that no Whip has been issued to them for voting in Rajya Sabha.

YSR Congress, which has opposed the Bill, has not issued a Whip for its MPs voting in Rajya Sabha.

The Naveen Patnaik-led party has seven MPs in the Upper House while it has no representation in Lok Sabha where the Bill was passed with a 288-232 vote. The YS Jaganmohan Reddy-led YSR Congress has seven MPs in Rajya Sabha.

BJD MP Muzibullah Khan and YSR Congress’ YV Subba Reddy, who spoke in the House, opposed the Bill.

On Thursday evening as the Rajya Sabha debated upon the Bill, BJD floor leader and national spokesperson Sasmit Patra said there is no party Whip and MPs are being allowed to vote according to their conscience.

"The Biju Janata Dal has always upheld the principles of secularism and inclusivity, ensuring the rights of all communities. We deeply respect the diverse sentiments expressed by different sections of the minority communities regarding the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024," Patra posted on 'X'.

"Our Party, having taken these views into careful consideration, has entrusted our Members in the Rajya Sabha with the responsibility of exercising their conscience in the best interest of justice, harmony and the rights of all communities, should the Bill come up for voting. There is no Party Whip," he said.

On Wednesday, Patra had said that the BJD was opposed to some of the provisions in the Bill, as its suggestion for changes in the original draft was not accepted.

BJD has been critical of the BJP after its electoral rout in Lok Sabha and Assembly elections last year, in variance to its earlier non-confrontationist position with the saffron party, which had then prompted other Opposition parties to accuse it of being B-Team of the BJP.

However, post 2024 elections, in which it could not win a single Lok Sabha seat besides losing power in Odisha after a gap of 25 years, the BJD had joined hands with the Opposition in Parliament. Just after the presentation of Budget in February, Patra had said Odisha has been cheated by the double engine government. "It is double 'dhoka' (double betrayal) by the double-engine 'sarkar' (government)," he had said.

Similar is the case with YSR Congress, which lost to TDP-BJP-Janasena combine in both Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh.

According to Rajya Sabha numbers, the BJP-led NDA is in a comfortable position to get the Bill cleared. With nine vacancies, the Rajya Sabha now has 236 members of which 125, including 98 BJP lawmakers and six nominated MPs, are attached to the ruling coalition.

The I.N.D.I.A bloc has 95 MPs, including Congress' 27, on its side while AIADMK and BRS with four each and one MP of BSP have declared that they would oppose the Bill. With this, those opposing the Bill could get 104 votes, if all are present and voting. (ENDS)