August 13th 2024.
The Indian capital of New Delhi was abuzz with news that Jagdambika Pal, a respected member of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Lok Sabha, would be leading a joint committee of Parliament to review the controversial Waqf Bill. According to officials, this announcement was made on Tuesday and was met with mixed reactions.
As the Lok Sabha was in an uproar over the provisions of the Waqf Bill, the government decided to refer it to a joint committee consisting of members from both Houses. The committee, comprised of 31 members with a majority from the Lok Sabha, has been given the task of submitting their report by the next session.
During the last session, a motion was presented by Kiren Rijiju, the Union Minister for Minority Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs, to name the members who would be part of the joint committee. It was unanimously adopted by both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. Sources say that an official notification will soon be released, officially appointing Pal as the chairperson of the committee.
The composition of the joint committee includes 12 members from the ruling National Democratic Alliance, with eight being from the BJP, and nine from the opposition. In the Rajya Sabha, four members are from the BJP, four from the opposition, one from the YSR Congress Party, and one nominated member. The YSRCP has openly expressed their disagreement with the Waqf Bill.
The Bill was first introduced in the Lok Sabha last Thursday and was met with intense debate before being referred to the joint committee. The government has clarified that the proposed law does not aim to interfere with the functioning of mosques, while the opposition has accused it of targeting Muslims and violating the Constitution. The joint committee has been given a deadline to submit their report to the Lok Sabha by the end of the first week of the next session, as stated by Rijiju.
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