Waqf Bill to be tabled tomorrow: BJP, Congress Samajwadi Party issue whip to all Lok Sabha MPs

The Waqf Bill will be tabled in Lok Sabha on Wednesday, 2 April. On Tuesday, both Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Samajwadi Party issued whip to all their Lok Sabha MPs to be present in the parliament tomorrow.

A whip is a formal written directive issued by political parties to their legislators, requiring them to be present for important votes in Parliament or state assemblies and mandating them to vote in line with the party's official stance.

Waqf Bill To be Tabled in Lok Sabha

Sparks are set to fly in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday as it takes up for consideration and passage the Waqf amendment bill which has met with a strong resistance from the opposition parties.

After eight hours of proposed discussion, Minorities Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju will respond to the debate and seek the approval of the House for its passage.

The issue came for discussion at the meeting of the business advisory committee (BAC) chaired by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, PTI reported.

At the BAC meet, while the opposition sought 12 hours for discussion, government insisted on lesser time. The Speaker decided for eight hours for debate, extendable after taking sense of the House.

What is Waqf (Amendment) Bill?

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, introduced in the Lok Sabha on 8 August 2024, seeks to reform the management of waqf properties in India. It proposes changes to the Waqf Act, 1995, including renaming it to the 'United Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Act, 1995' (UWMEEDA 1995).

The bill aims to streamline waqf registration through a central portal, enhance oversight by establishing a Central Waqf Council and state Waqf Boards with representation from Muslim women and non-Muslims, and grant the District Collector authority to determine waqf property status.

Additionally, it mandates audits by government-appointed auditors and requires valid waqfnamas for property designation.

BJP, Cong, SP Issue Whip To All Lok Sabha MPs

The BJP issued whip to all Lok Sabha MPs on Tuesday to be present in Parliament tomorrow, 2 April.

Congress also issued a three-day whip to all its Lok Sabha MPs, mandating their presence in Parliament on April 2, 3, and 4.

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party issued a three line whip to their Lok Saha MPs to be present in parliament tomorrow.

“Samajwadi Party will vote against the Waqf Bill”, said SP leader Dharmendra Yadav. In Lok Sabha, Samajwadi Party has 37 MPs, and BJP has 240 MPs.

Opposition parties are strongly opposed to the bill, slamming it as unconstitutional and against the interest of the Muslim community. Several leading Muslim organisations have been rallying support against the bill.

The bill seeks to improve the management and administration of Waqf properties in India.

Look at NDA vs INDIA bloc MPs in Lok Sabha

Ahead of Waqf (Amendment) Bill being tabled on Wednesday, 2 April, take a look at the numbers for each party or alliance in the Lok Sabha:

• NDA: 292 MPs
• INDIA Bloc: 234 MPs

Parties Forming the INDIA Bloc:

The INDIA Bloc includes:

• Indian National Congress (INC)
• Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M))
• Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)
• Samajwadi Party (SP)
• All India Trinamool Congress (AITC)
• Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)
• Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) (SHS(UBT))

Parties Forming the NDA:

The NDA includes:

• Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
• National People's Party (NPP)
• Telugu Desam Party (TDP)
• Janata Dal (United) (JDU)
• Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) (LJPRV)
• All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU)
• Apna Dal (Soneylal) (ADS)
• Asom Gana Parishad (AGP)
• Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) (SHS)
• Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM)
• United People's Party Liberal (UPPL)