Amid criticism over the JPC report on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, the Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee, Jagdambika Pal said on Monday that the opposition is trying to push a certain agenda and has submitted a dissent note on 281 pages out of a total of 428 pages report.Speaking to the media, Pal emphasized that they have prepared the final report after considering all the witnesses.“Just like they (Opposition) tried to mislead the JPC by saying that if this bill is passed, all Waqf properties will be taken away, similarly, they are trying to push a certain agenda across the country and are attempting appeasement. In the continuous JPC meetings, we called everyone as witnesses, whether it was the Waqf Board, the Minority Commission, government officials, stakeholders, or Islamic scholars – we listened to all of them. We have prepared a 428-page report, which we have submitted to the Speaker,” he said.“In this 428-page report, we had requested clause-by-clause amendments, whether it was Owaisi Sahib, Naseer Hussain, or anyone else, and everyone had given their input. We then held a voting based on those amendments and accepted them based on the majority,” he added.The JPC Chairman also highlighted that in all the meetings, those who are opposing today were also present and they participated in the voting.“The opposition has submitted a dissent note on 281 pages out of the 428-page report. When we present the report in the House, the dissent notes of all these members will be included as well. Now, what more could be done in a parliamentary democracy?” Jagdambika Pal said.On being asked when the report will be presented in the House, the JPC Chairman said, “When the Speaker proposes the agenda and the Business Advisory Committee agrees, we will table it.”The JPC report on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024 will not be tabled in the House on Monday, according to the list of businesses. The report was presented to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on January 30, 2025.The JPC on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill adopted the draft report and the amended revised bill on Wednesday, January 29. However, the opposition leaders submitted their dissent notes on the report.The JPC had earlier cleared the Waqf Bill 1995 with 25 amendments across 14 clauses and sections.The Waqf Act of 1995, enacted to regulate Waqf properties, has long been criticised for issues such as mismanagement, corruption, and encroachments.The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, aims to address these challenges by introducing reforms such as digitisation, enhanced audits, improved transparency, and legal mechanisms to reclaim illegally occupied properties. (ANI)
