The joint committee’s report on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, was presented and later approved by the Rajya Sabha despite significant opposition protests, prompting chairperson Jagdeep Dhankhar to temporarily suspend the session on Thursday.
Immediately after the report on the Bill intended to simplify the registration of Waqf properties was presented by Rajya Sabha MP Medha Kulkarni, opposition MPs alleged that segments of dissent notes had been deleted and began sloganeering.
The uproar persisted while Dhankhar attempted to read a message from the President as the proceedings restarted. The opposition ultimately carried out a walkout from the Rajya Sabha amid the debate on the report.
Leader of the Opposition and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge stated that the opposition would reject “false reports” that “override our opinions.” The Congress leader requested that the report be returned to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) and reintroduced.
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“In the JPC report, numerous members have their dissenting opinions. It’s unjust to eliminate those notes and steamroll our opinions. This opposes democracy… We will never tolerate these false reports. If the report lacks opposing opinions, it must be returned and re-presented,” Kharge stated.
In a demonstration of solidarity from the opposition, multiple INDIA bloc MPs also supported Kharge. Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant stated that detailed discussions on each clause were not conducted during the JPC meetings. Due to this, we provided a note of dissent. “They have taken away the note of disagreement we provided,” he stated.
In response to Kharge’s assertions, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju stated that the dissent notes were included in the report’s appendix and charged the opposition with misleading the House. “There is no expunging or omitting from the report… The Opposition members are generating an issue that isn’t needed,” he stated.
Attacking the rivals, Union Minister and BJP president JP Nadda stated that “some were attempting to challenge the Indian state” – seemingly referencing Rahul Gandhi’s contentious comment from the previous year. Last year, Gandhi stated that the Congress was battling not just the BJP and the RSS, but also the “Indian state.”
