NEW DELHI: Union home minister Amit Shah dismissed the opposition to the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, which was tabled in Parliament on Wednesday.
“…It was your (opposition) insistence that a Joint Parliamentary Committee should be formed. We do not have a committee like the Congress. We have a democratic committee, which brainstorms,” he said.
“‘Congress ke zamane mein committee hoti thi jo thappa lagati thi’. Our committee discusses, deliberates on the basis of discussions and makes changes. If the changes are not to be accepted, then what is the point of the committee?” he added.
This came after Congress leader KC Venugopal opposed the bill saying that the Centre was “bulldozing the legislation”.
“This type of bill (Waqf Amendment Bill) that you are bringing into the House, at least the members has to have the power to give amendments…You are bulldozing the legislation. This is this type of legislation. You need to give time for amendment. There are several provisions to be given amendment. There is no time at all..,” he said.
Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju tabled the bill in Lok Sabha. The proposed amendments to the Waqf Act, 1995, seek to improve the regulation and oversight of Waqf properties by strengthening administration and ensuring more efficient management of Waqf assets across India.