New Delhi, February 13: The Rajya Sabha witnessed uproar on Thursday during the discussion on the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) report on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, with opposition leaders staging a walkout, alleging irregularities in the report’s handling. The controversy surrounding the report led to a heated exchange, with Union Minister Kiren Rijiju refuting claims of deletions or removals of dissent from the report.
Rijiju, addressing the concerns raised by the opposition, stated, “I have checked the concerns raised by the Opposition. There have been no deletions or removals from the report. Everything is on the floor of the House. On what basis can such an issue be raised? The members of the Opposition are creating an unnecessary issue, which is not a fact. The allegation is false.”
JPC Proceedings Defended by Rijiju
The Union Minister further clarified that the JPC had followed due procedure throughout its proceedings. He emphasized that all opposition members actively participated in the JPC’s work over the past six months and that any dissent was documented in the Appendix of the report. Rijiju also stressed the transparency of the JPC, claiming that no committee had worked as transparently as this one.
“The JPC conducted the entire proceedings as per the rules. All the Opposition members of the JPC participated in all the proceedings over the last 6 months. All the dissent notes are attached in the Appendix of the report. They cannot mislead the House,” Rijiju added.
JPC Report on Waqf Bill Tabled Amid Disruptions
The JPC report on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, was presented in the Rajya Sabha by BJP MP Medha Vishram Kulkarni, who also tabled a copy of the evidence recorded by the committee. However, the presentation of the report triggered a storm of protests from opposition MPs, leading to the adjournment of the session until 11:20 am. When proceedings resumed, the House once again witnessed disruptions as opposition members continued to voice their objections.
Earlier, Jagadambika Pal, BJP MP and Chairman of the JPC, spoke to ANI, emphasizing the committee’s nationwide consultation process. He stated that the JPC had traveled across the country over the past six months, holding consultations to prepare the report. In total, the committee had adopted 25 amendments across 14 clauses of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill.
“The JPC will produce its report in Parliament today. The committee was formed six months ago, and we have prepared the report after touring the entire country. We have adopted 25 amendments in 14 clauses,” said Pal.
Opposition Criticism of the Bill
Meanwhile, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi criticized the proposed amendments, accusing the government of attempting to introduce a politically motivated change to the Waqf Act, rather than focusing on improving the existing law. Gogoi’s remarks added to the ongoing opposition protests, which centered around the perceived political nature of the amendments.