Speaker Om Birla with Waqf Board JPC
Credit: ANI Photo
New Delhi: Several Opposition MPs part of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Waqf Amendment Bill met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday to seek an extension to the tenure of the Committee. They contested that JPC chairperson, BJP MP Jagdambika Pal, was hurrying up the work without seeking meetings with relevant stakeholders.
In a letter to Birla, they said that since the JPC’s tenure began on August 22, only 25 sittings were held and several of these meetings were held with “irrelevant” stakeholders.
“It must be noted that the Waqf Amendment Bill is an expansive legislation that involves many major changes to existing law. These changes will affect a large section of India’s population. Therefore a mere three months’ time before the report is finalised is not only inadequate but may result in improper recommendations. In order for proper consultation and deliberation, the committee’s tenure must be extended by a reasonable time,” the letter read.
After the meeting, AAP MP Sanjay Singh told reporters that they raised three key objections. “First, the chairperson undertook to Karnataka without informing the members about it, and so, it did not have the necessary quorum. There are still several places that the panel wanted to visit which have not yet been scheduled. Third, the discussion on the Ministry’s report was still pending and several members of the Waqf Board were yet to come before the JPC,” he said.
Singh added that Speaker Birla gave them a patient hearing and assured them that he will extend the time limit for submitting the report.
Opposition members have contended that the state governments of key states like Bihar, New Delhi and Uttar Pradesh have not been summoned to present their views yet.