Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday introduced the Waqf Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha. Opposition continues to protest and sloganeer against the bill.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday introduced the Waqf Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha. The bill is tabled amid huge uproar from the Opposition. As the session commenced, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla invited Union Minister Kiren Rijiju to present the bill. Expressing a stern stance against today’s Waqf Board’s working, Rijiju claimed, “Had we not introduced the bill, even the Parliament building would have been claimed as Waqf property.”
Kiren Rijiju tables Waqf Bill in Lok Sabha | Watch
Introducing the contentious Waqf Amendment Bill in Lok Sabha, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said, “I want to congratulate members of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) from both the Houses. In total, 284 delegations, 25 states, and union territory Waqf boards gave their submission in the JPC”.
‘Parliament could have been claimed as Waqf property’
During the speech, Rijiju cited an example of a property dispute and said, “A case ongoing since 1970 in Delhi involved several properties, including the CGO Complex and the Parliament building. The Delhi Waqf Board had claimed these as Waqf properties. The case was in court, but at that time, the UPA government denotified 123 properties and handed them over to the Waqf Board. If we had not introduced this amendment today, even the Parliament building we are sitting in could have been claimed as Waqf property. If PM Modi Govt did not come into power, several properties would have been de-notified…”
Critics are being ‘misled and provoked’
Kiren Rijiju led the BJP’s argument in the Lok Sabha over the Waqf Amendment Bill and said why are we being questioned for introducing positive reforms. Those uninvolved in the bill are being misled and provoked, he added.
In his address, Rijiju thanked the members of the Joint Committee. “I want to say that the discussion that has taken place on the Waqf Amendment Bill in the Joint Committee of both the Houses has never been done in the parliamentary history of India till date. I thank and congratulate all the members of the Joint Committee…Till date, a total of 284 delegations from the state holders of different communities have presented their views and suggestions before the committee. Waqf boards of 25 state governments and union territories have also presented their submissions..,” Rijiju said.
Rijiju’s ‘Shayrana’ manoeuvre
After introducing the Waqf Amendment Bill in Lok Sabha, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said, “…Kisi ki baat koi bad-guma na samjhega. Zameen ka dard kabhi aasamaan nahi samjhega…I not only hope, but I am sure that those who oppose this bill will also have a change in their hearts. Everyone will support this bill with a positive attitude…”
Rijiju shares history of Waqf Bill
“This bill, which we are discussing, is not new. The history of this bill dates back to pre-Independence in 1913 when the ‘Mussalman Waqf Validating Act’ was passed. Later, in 1923, the ‘Mussalman Waqf Act’ was brought in which accounting and transparency were in focus. After Independence, in 1954, Waqf Act was incorporated. State Waqf Board was included in this Waqf Act, 1954,” Union Minister said.
