Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi: The Indian Parliament has constituted a joint committee to examine the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, comprising 31 members—21 from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha. This committee is expected to submit its report by the next session of Parliament.
On Friday, both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha approved a motion introduced by Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, who also manages parliamentary affairs, naming the committee members. The Lok Sabha panel includes 12 members from the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), with eight representing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and nine members from the opposition. The Rajya Sabha’s panel includes four members each from the BJP and the opposition, along with one nominated member.
Notable Lok Sabha members on the committee include Jagdambika Pal, Nishikant Dubey, Tejasvi Surya, and Asaduddin Owaisi. The Rajya Sabha members include Brij Lal, Syed Naseer Hussain, Mohammed Nadimul Haque, and nominated member Dharmasthala Veerendra Heggade.
The committee is set to be chaired by a member who will soon be appointed by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, with speculation that BJP’s Jagdambika Pal may lead the panel.
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Thursday amid a heated debate. The government emphasized that the bill does not aim to interfere with the operations of mosques, while the opposition accused it of targeting Muslims and undermining the Constitution.
The committee’s report is anticipated to be submitted by the end of the first week of the next session, according to Minister Rijiju. Meanwhile, a delegation of Muslim clerics has met with Rijiju, expressing their support for the proposed amendments to the Waqf Act, 1995, despite strong opposition from other quarters.
