PM Modi trying to forcefully pass Waqf (Amendment) Bill: Sanjay Singh

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh on Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of forcefully attempting to pass Waqf (amendment) bill.

Speaking to ANI, Singh said, "PM Narendra Modi is forcefully trying to pass Waqf (amendment) bill. He does not even want to hold a discussion in the JPC, leaving all parliamentary rules and traditions. This is happening for the first time - all the opposition parties boycotted the JPC tour, despite that it is being held."

Singh called the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) tour a drama and a medium to divert attention from the issues.

"If the opposition does not go to a meeting, the quorum remains incomplete. I do not know whether the quorum is being completed or not in today's Guwahati tour. This JPC is a drama. The JPC was just a medium to divert attention from the issues. In reality, the Modi government does not want any discussion in JPC," Singh said.

The JPC meeting on the Waqf Amendment Bill began in Guwahati on Saturday. The Joint Committee on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, is conducting a study tour from November 9 to November 14 in five cities: Guwahati, Bhubaneswar, Kolkata, Patna, and Lucknow to examine the bill.

The committee plans to present its report on the bill to the House by the end of the first week of the Winter Session of Parliament, which runs from November 25 to December 20.

The JPC's efforts are part of a larger national initiative to reform the Waqf Act and ensure that waqf properties are used for the greater good of the community.

The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024 has held 25 meetings so far since August 22. The JPC reviewed the work of six ministries and heard from 123 stakeholders, including representatives from six states, eight Waqf boards and four minority commissions.

"I held the first meeting on August 22. Since then, 25 meetings have been conducted. During these meetings, we examined six ministries and engaged with 37 stakeholders, including Islamic and minority organisations. Approximately 123 stakeholders have appeared before the committee. Among them were three MPs, three MLAs, MLCs, and a Minister of State from Gujarat. Additionally, representatives from six states, eight Waqf Boards, and four Minority Commissions have appeared," Pal explained.

The Waqf Act, 1995, was originally established to regulate Waqf properties, but it has long faced criticism over issues of mismanagement, corruption, and encroachments. The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which was introduced in the Lok Sabha this August, seeks to bring sweeping reforms, introducing digitisation, stricter audits, transparency and legal mechanisms to reclaim illegally occupied properties.

The JPC is conducting a series of meetings to gather input from government officials, legal experts, Waqf Board members, and community representatives from various states and Union Territories, aiming to achieve comprehensive reform.