Waqf bill pending! JPC’s tenure will be extended, Chairman Jagdambika Pal had to bow down on the demand of opposition

New Delhi: There was an uproar in the parliamentary committee examining the Waqf (Amendment) Bill on Wednesday. Opposition members boycotted the meeting, calling the proceedings a farce. However, they later returned. Committee Chairman Jagdambika Pal has talked about extending the tenure. The opposition says more time is needed to fully consider the bill. After the extension of the tenure of JPC, it is also certain that the Waqf Bill will not be presented in this Parliament session. It may hang on for much longer.Allegation- The meeting is being conducted in a hurry
A committee of Parliament is considering changes in the Waqf law. The chairman of this committee is Jagdambika Pal. Opposition members created ruckus and boycotted the meeting on Wednesday. his/her allegation was that the meeting was being conducted in a hurry. The opposition wants to extend the tenure of the committee so that the law can be properly considered. The chairman has agreed to extend the tenure.

‘We feel the need to extend the tenure’
BJP MP and Waqf JPC chairperson Jagdambika Palle said after the meeting that we still have to listen to other people and officials of six states. There are disputes between Waqf and state governments in these states. There is a dispute between the Government of India, the Urban Ministry and the Waqf Board over 123 properties. We feel that there is a need to extend the tenure.

Committee member and BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi said that the committee will request Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to extend the deadline for submitting the report till the last day of the 2025 budget session.

Aparajita Sarangi further said that we had a hearing with the Ministry of Minority Affairs and had extensive discussions on various amendments proposed in the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024. The uproar originally arose from his/her request regarding submission of the report. There was a lot of debate about this. Members of the ruling party also felt that there should be some kind of expansion. I think some time is definitely necessary.

The opposition protest was sparked by Chairman Jagdambika Palke’s alleged announcement of presenting the committee’s draft report in the Lok Sabha on November 29. Many opposition parties opposed this. However, he/she returned to the meeting after an hour. This indicated that the Chairman would demand extension of his/her tenure.

Who was there from the opposition?
Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, DMK’s A Raja, AAP’s Sanjay Singh and TMC’s Kalyan Banerjee led the boycott. he/she expressed concern over the committee’s rushed schedule and lack of proper procedure. he/she demanded extension of the tenure for wider discussions.

After the boycott, Gogoi said that Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla had earlier indicated that the tenure of the committee could be extended. However, he/she alleged that the Chairman was under pressure from a senior government minister to pursue the proceedings till the November 29 deadline.

TMC leader Kalyan Banerjee also expressed his/her concern. he/she claimed that the Chairman failed to talk to opposition members or call key witnesses. Banerjee said the entire proceedings were a joke. The whole proceeding is a joke.

YSR Congress MP Vijay Sai Reddy said that many state Waqf boards and stakeholders have not been heard yet. Therefore, it is impossible for the committee to complete its work within the stipulated time limit. Senior officials of the Ministry of Minority Affairs were also present in the meeting. The meeting was to discuss the amendments to the Waqf Bill and accept or reject them based on the findings of the committee.