Chairman Jagdambika Pal is set to seek an extension for the tenure of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) examining the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024. This decision comes after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) called for an extension, with both sides emphasizing the need for more time to discuss the bill. The JPC’s current mandate is set to expire on November 29, but the committee has been under pressure to extend the timeline for further discussions.
On Wednesday, opposition MPs staged a walkout during the meeting, demanding that the committee’s tenure be extended. The opposition argued that crucial stakeholders were not being invited to participate in the discussions, and they expressed concern that the committee was acting in alignment with the agenda of the ruling party rather than considering all perspectives. BJP MP Nishikant Dubey also voiced support for the opposition’s request, stating that the demand for an extension was reasonable. Following a brief debate, the committee agreed to the suggestion of extending the JPC’s term for the next parliamentary session to allow for more in-depth discussions on the bill.
Jagdambika Pal will now move a resolution before the house to extend the JPC’s tenure until the end of the upcoming budget session of Parliament. Once the motion is introduced by the Lok Sabha speaker, it will be put to a vote, and if the house approves, the extension will be granted according to parliamentary procedure.
The committee’s 29th meeting was held on Wednesday, with discussions focusing on the need for additional time. DMK MP A Raja, who participated in the walkout, expressed satisfaction with the chairman’s agreement to consider the extension. BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi also highlighted the significant debate within the committee on the matter. Some ruling party members agreed that more deliberations were needed and that additional stakeholders should be invited to provide their views.
Since the Waqf Bill was referred to the JPC in the monsoon session of Parliament on August 9, the committee has examined 13 Waqf boards and heard from seven state representatives. A total of 42 organizations and stakeholders have appeared before the panel, and the committee has conducted two study tours. The first tour included visits to states like Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, where 123 stakeholders were met. The second trip, however, had to be shortened due to the opposition’s boycott and only included visits to Guwahati and Bhubaneswar, where 16 stakeholders were examined.
The JPC has also sought public feedback on the bill, receiving an overwhelming 92.28 lakh emails and 4.99 lakh physical representations to date
