Union Minister Kiren Rijiju defends Waqf (Amendment) Bill in Lok Sabha, says "no interference in freedom of any religious body"

New Delhi, Aug 08: Amid the opposition's all-out attack on the Centre after the Waqf (Amendment) Bill was introduced in Lok Sabha on Thursday, Union Minister of Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju defended the bill in the House and said that there is no "interference in the freedom of any religious body".

"With this bill, there is no interference in the freedom of any religious body. Forget about taking anyone's rights, this bill has been brought to give rights to those who never got them. This bill being brought today is based on the report of Sachar committee (which called for reform) which you made (Congress)," Kiren Rijiju said as he moved the bill for consideration in the lower house.

"Stop opposing this bill, this will go down in history, whoever has opposed it and whoever has supported it. So before opposing the bill, think about thousands of poor people, women, and children and respect them," Rijiju added.

The bill seeks to "effectively address issues" related to the powers of the State Waqf Boards, registration and survey of waqf properties and removal of encroachments. Apart from introducing the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, Kiren Rijiju also introduced the Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, 2024 which seeks to repeal the Mussalman Wakf Act, 1923.

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, Waqf Act provides for the renaming of the Waqf Act, 1995, as the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Act, 1995. It seeks to clearly define "waqf" as waqf by any person practising Islam for at least five years and having ownership of such property and ensure that the creation of Waqf-alal-aulad does not lead to the denial of inheritance rights to women.

The bill seeks to omit section 40 relating to the powers of the Board to decide if a property is waqf property, provide for filing of accounts of waqf by mutawallis to the Board through a central portal for better control over their activities, reform the Tribunal structure with two members and provide for appeals against the orders of the Tribunal to the High Court within a specified period of ninety days.

The members of the opposition parties made an all-out attack on the Centre as Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju moved the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 in Lok Sabha.

NCP (SCP) MP Supriya Sule urged the government to either withdraw the bill completely or send it to a standing committee. "Please do not push agendas without consultations," Supriya Sule said in Lok Sabha. Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) MP NK Premachandran in Lok Sabha said that if this law is put through judicial scrutiny then it will be "struck down."

Opposing the bill, Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav said, "Yeh bill jo introduce ho raha hai woh bahut sochi samjhi rajneeti ke tehat ho raha hai. Speaker sir, I heard in the lobby that some of your rights are also going to be taken away and we will have to fight for you. I oppose this bill."

Congress MP KC Venugopal opposed the bill in the House and dubbed it an "attack on the federal system." AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi claimed that the bill violates the principles of Articles 14, 15 and 25 of the Constitution.