Rijiju to move Waqf Amendment Bill for passing in Parliament

NEW DELHI: As Parliament is set to convene again today, the legislative business suggests that Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju will move the Waqf Amendment Bill of 2025, which aims to amend the Waqf Act of 1995, for passing.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will move that the amendments made by Rajya Sabha in the Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill of 2024, which further amends the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, the State Bank of India Act, 1955, the Banking Companies (Acquisition and Transfer of Undertakings) Act, 1970, and the Banking Companies (Acquisition and Transfer of Undertakings) Act, 1980, be taken into consideration.

#WATCH | Delhi: Waqf Amendment Bill to be introduced in Lok Sabha today

Union Minister of Minority Affairs, Kiren Rijiju says, “Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju says, “Some leaders, including some religious leaders, are misleading innocent Muslims… The same… pic.twitter.com/EfzC86vrAC

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Meanwhile, Union Ministers Jitendra Singh, L Murugan and Ravneet Singh will “lay papers on the table” for their respective ministries. The Waqf (Amendment) Bill is expected to be tabled in Parliament on Wednesday. Both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress are issuing whips to their MPs to ensure their presence in the House.

With the parties in the ruling BJP-led National Democratic Alliance and the Opposition INDIA bloc showing no signs of bipartisan consensus building, the outcomes may be decided on the majority numbers on the floor. The bill will be tabled after today’s Question Hour for consideration and passing. Following that, an 8-hour discussion will be held, which is also subject to an increase.

In line with the BJP and Congress, their allies have also issued a whip to all their MPs to be present in the parliament on April 2 and 3. The opposition has been vocal in its criticism of the Waqf Bill, with Samajwadi Party (SP) chief whip Dharmendra Yadav issuing a 3-line whip to all its MPs in the Lok Sabha to be present in the House on April 2 and participate in discussions on the Waqf Amendment Bill.

However, on Tuesday, INDIA bloc floor leaders also met in parliament to discuss the strategy for the Waqf (Amendment) Bill. The bill was earlier presented in the Lok Sabha in August of last year, following which a Joint Parliamentary Committee was formed under Jagdambika Pal’s leadership for further consideration.

The bill aims to amend the Waqf Act of 1995 to redress the issues and challenges in regulating and managing Waqf properties.

The Amendment Bill seeks to improve the administration and management of waqf properties in India. It aims to overcome the shortcomings of the previous Act and enhance the efficiency of Waqf boards by introducing changes such as renaming the Act, updating the definitions of waqf, improving the registration process, and increasing the role of technology in managing waqf records.

The Waqf Act of 1995, enacted to regulate Waqf properties, has long been criticised for issues such as mismanagement, corruption, and encroachments. (ANI)