Waqf Amendment Bill Report Tabled Amidst Opposition Protests in Parliament

New Delhi: The Joint Committee Report on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024 was tabled in both Houses of Parliament on Thursday, amid fierce protests from opposition parties. In the Lok Sabha, when the House reconvened after a brief adjournment at 2 PM, the report was presented by Joint Committee Chairman Jagdambika Pal. However, the presentation was met with loud protests from opposition members, including those from the Congress, DMK, Samajwadi Party, TMC, and other parties.

In response to the uproar, Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated that the BJP had no objection to the addition of dissent notes in the report, as requested by the opposition. Despite this, opposition members staged a walkout from the House, continuing their protest over the report.

Earlier, the Lok Sabha had been adjourned until 2 PM due to disruptions caused by opposition members over the report. As the session resumed on Thursday morning, the opposition created chaos, forcing Speaker Om Birla to repeatedly ask the members to allow the House to conduct its scheduled business. He assured the opposition that they would have a chance to speak once the report was tabled but stressed that the Question Hour was important and the disruption was not appropriate. Despite these efforts, the Speaker adjourned the House until 2 PM.

In the Rajya Sabha, the report was tabled by BJP MP Dr. Medha Vishram Kulkarni in the morning session. However, opposition members continued their protests, causing a disruption. Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar appealed for order but was unable to restore calm. He warned the protesting members that action would be taken if the disorder persisted. Dhankhar also referred to statements made by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, who clarified that no dissent or input had been omitted from the report. He stated that the House could not function on the basis of falsehoods and adjourned the session briefly until 11:20 AM.

When the House reconvened, Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjuna Kharge accused the government of excluding dissenting views from the report, calling it an anti-democratic move. He demanded that the report be sent back to the committee if it did not include the dissent notes. Congress leader Nasir Hussain echoed these concerns.

In response, Minister Kiren Rijiju refuted the claims, asserting that all proceedings, including dissent notes, were included in the report and its appendix. He accused the opposition of misleading the House. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also backed the government’s stance, criticizing the opposition for causing disruption. Leader of the House J.P. Nadda expressed disappointment over the opposition’s behavior, calling it irresponsible and contrary to parliamentary traditions. He urged members to respect constitutional provisions and allow the House to function smoothly.

Despite the government’s response, opposition members in the Rajya Sabha staged a walkout. Later, Nadda questioned the opposition’s approach, urging them to reconsider their actions.