Parliament Monsoon Session Updates: The proceedings of Parliement are anticipated to be stormy on Thursday with the Treasury bench set to introduce the Waqf (Modification) Invoice, 2024, in Lok Sabha, to additional amend The Wakf Act, 1995. The invoice proposes to make sure extra accountability and transparency within the functioning of Waqf Boards and obligatory inclusion of girls in these our bodies.
With the invoice proposing far-reaching adjustments within the Wakf Act, a number of Opposition events have mentioned they might resist the Bharatiya Janata Get together-led authorities’s plans. The Opposition has requested theTreasury bench to ship the controversial invoice to the parliamentary standing committee for additional consultations earlier than being taken up for passage.
Govt Vs Oppn
The BJP, nonetheless, has asserted that such a Invoice is critical to convey “transparency” within the administration of waqf properties throughout the nation. In response to Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiu, the continual calls for and representations had been made by widespread Muslims to make regulation of waqf properties extra clear and environment friendly.
“For a very long time there have been steady calls for and representations from the poor and customary Muslims, together with girls, to make waqf properties extra clear and environment friendly,” Rijiju mentioned, in line with a report by the information company PTI.
A number of Opposition events, together with the Congress, Samajwadi Get together and the Trinamool Congress mentioned that the invoice, which is being opposed by some Muslim organisations, ought to be despatched to the standing committee, which offers with the minority affairs ministry and has not been constituted but.
Samajwadi Get together supremo Akhilesh Yadav has mentioned his social gathering will oppose the Centre’s transfer to convey a Invoice in Parliament to amend the 1995 regulation governing Waqf boards and accused the BJP of making an attempt to grab the rights of Muslims.
“We can be towards it (Wakf Act modification invoice)…BJP’s solely work is to divide Hindus and Muslims, snatch the rights of Muslim brothers and work on the way to snatch the rights given to them within the Structure,” Yadav advised reporters when he was requested concerning the proposed modification.
Rashtriya Janata Dal’s Tejashwi Yadav has accused the BJP-led Nationwide Democratic Alliance (NDA) authorities of doing politics to “create a division between Hindus and Muslims”.
“You have to perceive one factor: The Central authorities is just not working for public welfare. They don’t care concerning the poor, inflation, or unemployment… The BJP doesn’t care about all this. They solely wish to divide and do Hindu-Muslim for his or her political features,” the RJD chief mentioned in line with a report by Indian Categorical.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, then again, claimed that the Central authorities got here up with the Waqf invoice to keep away from dialogue on the Funds. “Till it’s tabled in Parliament, I received’t prefer to touch upon it,” she mentioned.
Govt To Not Press For Passage Of Invoice
The federal government has mentioned that the Enterprise Advisory Committee (BAC) will take a name about sending the invoice to the parliamentary standing committee after assessing the sense of Lok Sabha. Citing official sources, a PTI report mentioned the federal government won’t press for the passage of the Invoice after it’s launched in Lok Sabha. “Whether or not to ship the invoice to a Parliament panel for scrutiny or not can be selected Wednesday nevertheless it can’t be dominated out,” a supply mentioned.
Nevertheless, it’s to be famous that the department-related standing committees aren’t in place but. Subsequently, the invoice could also be forwarded to a particular committee if the federal government accepts the opposition’s demand.
About The Waqf Invoice
The Waqf (Modification) Invoice reportedly proposes to broaden the composition of the Central Waqf Council and state Waqf Boards by offering for illustration of Muslim girls and non-Muslim members. It seeks for appointment of a full-time chief govt officer of Waqf Boards by the state governments, who shall not be beneath the rank of joint secretary to the state authorities and never essentially a Muslim.
Probably the most crucial of the proposed amendments seeks to amend Part 40 of the prevailing regulation that empowers Waqf Boards to determine if a property is a Waqf asset. The invoice to amend the Wakf Act will make it obligatory for waqf boards to register their properties with district collectors to make sure their precise valuation.
There are 30 waqf boards within the nation. As per a PTI report, the income generated by all waqf properties was estimated at Rs 200 crore each year. “This isn’t in sync with the variety of properties such our bodies have,” they mentioned.