Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey on Wednesday sought more time from the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Waqf Amendment Bill. He echoed the views of opposition MPs as they also sought an extension. Dubey presented a proposal during the JPC meeting on Wednesday. The proposal for expansion of JPC is likely to come in Parliament tomorrow. The MP from Jharkhand’s Godda constituency moved a resolution during a parliamentary panel meeting on Wednesday.
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BJP MP and Waqf JPC Chairman Jagdambika Pal said that in today’s meeting we asked questions to the Minority Affairs Ministry. They will answer those questions. We had some questions that there are 123 properties of the Government of India in Delhi which existed before 1911. Later the Waqf Board claimed those properties. Therefore, the Urban Development Ministry and DDA will have to be called for clarification on that. Similarly, Odisha, UP, MP, Rajasthan, Bihar are a total of 6 states where Waqf claims are being made on government properties.
He further said that we asked the Secretary of the Ministry today but we have not received any response on this. Therefore, we will also have to call the Chief Secretaries of the states or the Minority Affairs Secretaries in the states. Pal also said that today Nishikant Dubey and other members raised that we have to invite some other stakeholders, state officials and listen. So, we think we should expand. I will consider it and then we will bring a proposal before the Lok Sabha tomorrow or the day after.
BJP MP and Waqf JPC member Aparajita Sarangi said that there was a lot of uproar in the Waqf meeting today. Opposition members staged a walkout and several members of the ruling party left the room requesting him to come and join the deliberations. Today a hearing of the Ministry of Minority Affairs was held and there was extensive discussion on various amendments proposed in the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024. He said that the uproar originally arose from his request regarding the submission of the report. So there was a lot of debate regarding this matter.
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He said that members of the ruling party also felt that there should be some kind of expansion. So, I think there is definitely a need for some time, so it was unanimously decided to extend the date of submission of the report by the Committee to the Speaker of the Lok Sabha till the end of the Budget Session till the end of the Budget Session of 2025. Said. Earlier in the day, opposition members stormed the Joint Parliamentary Committee meeting alleging that its proceedings had become a farce. However, he returned to attend the meeting an hour later amid indications that the committee chairman would seek an extension in his tenure.
