The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed a resolution to extend the tenure of the Joint Committee on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill until the final day of next year’s Budget session.
Joint Committee Chairman Jagdambika Pal proposed a resolution saying, “That this House do extend time for the presentation of the Report of the Joint Committee on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, up to the last day of the Budget Session, 2025.”
The resolution was adopted by the Lok Sabha by a voice vote.
After the opposition raised objections, the Centre forwarded the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, which was introduced on August 8, to the Committee for review. The last day of the panel’s term was November 29.
It is customary for the Waqf (Amendment) Bill to only be considered and passed during the second phase of the budget session. The Union budget and the economic survey report are the main topics of debate during the first week of the budget session.
Following a walkout by the panel’s opposition members from Wednesday’s Committee meeting, Pal had said that he was looking to extend the panel’s term.
Despite their plea to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to extend the Committee’s term, opposition members had hurriedly left the meeting, claiming that rules and procedures were not being followed and that the panel chairman was prepared to present a report on November 29.
Sanjay Singh of the AAP, Gaurav Gogoi of the Congress, A Raja of the DMK and Kalyan Banerjee of the TMC had all accused Pal of wanting to conclude the case by the deadline of November 29 without following the proper procedures.
On Monday, members from the opposition met with Speaker Om Birla and asked for an appropriate extension. The members of the Opposition noted in a letter to the Speaker that the Committee had only met 25 times since its inaugural meeting on August 22 and that some of those sessions included presentations from “various irrelevant” organisations and people.
Ten Rajya Sabha members and 21 Lok Sabha members make up the Joint Committee. Nine members from the Lower House and four from the Upper House make up its 13 opposition members.
Also Read: Pressure Mounts on Uddhav Thackeray to Leave MVA Amidst Election Defeat
