"BJP rejected all suggestions given by Opposition, should be reconsidered": Congress MP Tiwari on JPC report on Waqf Amendment Bill

New Delhi [India], February 13 (ANI): Congress MP Pramod Tiwari on Thursday called for a reconsideration and pause of the Joint Parliamentary Committee's report on the Waqf Amendment Bill, citing that it has rejected all the suggestions given by the Opposition.
Speaking to ANI, Tiwari pointed out that the JPC has no purpose if it accepts all the suggestions given by the ruling party.
"They have rejected all the suggestions given by the Opposition which were in favour of the country. What was the purpose of the JPC? All the amendments given by the ruling party were accepted. In a way, this has become a government report and not a JPC. It should be reconsidered. It should be paused before taking another stop," the Congress MP said.
Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said on Thursday that instead of focusing on the already available Waqf Act, an attempt is being made to bring a politically motivated amendment.
Speaking to ANI, Gogoi asserted that in the JPC report, several members of parliament have expressed their dissent, highlighting the constitutional negligence caused by this bill.
"Currently, there is an act that manages Waqf properties, and instead of focusing on how the government can better implement this act, an attempt has been made to bring a politically motivated amendment," he said.
Earlier today, Jagadambika Pal, BJP MP and Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, said that the JPC will present its report in Parliament today after six months of nationwide consultations.
"Today, the JPC will produce its report in the Parliament. To have a detailed discussion and deliberation, the JPC was formed six months ago. In the last six months, we have prepared a report after touring the whole nation. We have adopted 25 amendments in 14 clauses," he said.
The Waqf JPC Chairman also spoke about the concerns of some JPC members who felt their views were not heard, clarifying that dissenting notes have been included in the report's appendix, along with records from relevant stakeholders.
"Some members of the JPC had a complaint that they were not listened to. After the adoption of the report, we asked them to submit a note of dissent. We have also attached the note of dissent to the appendix of the report. We will also present the records of the stakeholders today," Jagdambika Pal said.
According to the List of Business of Lok Sabha, Jagdambika Pal, chairperson of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, along with BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal, will present the report of the Joint Committee on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 today.
They will also lay on the table the record of evidence given before the Joint Committee. The report was presented to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on January 30, 2025. (ANI)