The Waqf Amendment Bill, 2024 has prepared an uproar in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. The BJP -led central government is preparing to present it in the House to discuss and pass it, while on Tuesday, the parties of the India Block walked out of the House, calling the proposed law unconstitutional amidst the opposition’s constant uproar. The parties of India Block have already opened a front against the government regarding Waqf.
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Speaking to reporters, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said that the Lok Sabha Consultation Committee (BAC), which includes leaders of all major parties chaired by Chairman Om Birla, has agreed to the eight -hour debate, which can be extended after knowing the House’s opinion. During the meeting, there were initial indications of a fierce debate between the ruling party and the opposition, as the Congress and many other Indian block members walked out of the House accusing the government of suppressing their voice. However, due to political tension and length of debate, the result is unlikely to be affected, as the ruling BJP -led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has a strong majority in the Lok Sabha.
NDA strength
Let me tell you that to enact a law, the Waqf Amendment Bill must be passed in the Lok Sabha and then the Rajya Sabha before being signed by the President. Currently, the NDA has 293 seats in the House, currently 542 MPs. The BJP has often been successful in getting support from independent members and small parties. The BJP -led NDA has an absolute majority in the Lok Sabha, where 272 votes are required to pass the bill. Out of 293 MPs supporting NDA, BJP has 240 members, followed by 16 of Telugu Desam Party (TDP), 12 of Janata Dal (United), seven Shiv Sena, five of Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), five of Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), Janata Dal-Sacheror (JDS), Jan Sena Party (JSP) and seven others. The total member number of Lok Sabha is 542.
Everyone’s eye on Nitish-Nadu
The BJP is confident of getting full support from its allies, as the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) has resolved their concerns. Similarly, Nitish Kumar’s JDU has also indicated his support for the bill, senior leader KC Tyagi said that the party has shared its concerns with the Center and hopes that they will be resolved. Opposition parties have strongly opposed this bill and described it as harmful to the interests of unconstitutional and Muslim community. Many major Muslim organizations are actively gathering support against this bill.
The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) of Chandrababu Naidu, the leading aide of the NDA government at the Center, has announced supporting the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, which has led to the end of speculation on the bill for several days. TDP national spokesperson Prem Kumar Jain said, “The entire Muslim community is waiting for the Waqf Amendment Bill to be introduced. Our party will support it. Chandrababu Naidu has already said that we will work for the interests of the Muslim community. Tomorrow the bill will be introduced tomorrow, only then we will comment on it. I assure you that Chandrababu Nadu is in favor of Muslims.”
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Opposition mobilization
Leading the India Block campaign against the bill, the Congress has 99 seats in the Lok Sabha, followed by Samajwadi Party-37, DMK-22, Shiv Sena (UBT)-9, NCP-SP-8, CPIM-4, RJD-4, AAP-3, JMM-3, IUML-3, and JK National Conference-and 13 others. Thus, there are a total of 235 seats as compared to the strong data of 293 NDA. Leaders of all these parties have expressed that they will vote against the bill during voting. AIMIM’s only MP Asaduddin Owaisi is also strongly opposing the bill, although he is not a part of the India block. YSRCP (4 MPs) and Shiromani Akali Dal (1 MP) have not yet cleaned their stand.
The House leaders of India Block held a meeting to discuss the strategy on the Waqf Amendment Bill, which is to be introduced in Parliament tomorrow. DMK MP T Shiva said that we will participate in the discussion. We will express our views in the House. This is a very important bill. NCP-SCP MP Supriya Sule said that we will participate in the discussion. Just as we listen to them, we will also put our truth in front. We will stand with those working according to the Constitution. India Alliance discussed well. We will argue together.
