Waqf bill report ready, says JPC chief, opposition seeks expansion | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Chairman of the JPC which is the Waqf Bill, Jagdambika PalThursday said Thursday that the panel’s draft report is ready for discussion in Parliament, even if Opposition MPs in committee demanded an extension of the November 29 deadline for more deliberations on the report.
The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) has been asked by Lok Sabha to submit its report on the last day of the first week of the winter session of Parliament, which begins on Monday.
“Our draft report is ready. We will soon give a date for a clause-by-clause discussion on its recommendations,” Pal said after a nearly six-hour meeting of the JPC, during which the ministry of minority affairs presented a detailed justification for the proposed changes proposed by the government in the Waqf Act.
Opposition MPs will meet LS Speaker Om Birla on November 25, the first day of Parliament’s session, seeking an extension. They said they needed more time to ask questions and seek clarification. Pal said the panel has deliberated extensively with a range of stakeholders and all members have been given an opportunity to ask questions and seek answers as he suggested the panel can now only discuss the report. “I hope there will be a consensus,” he said, a possibility that is highly unlikely due to relentless objections from opposition members to many of the bill’s proposals.
They see the proposed law as part of the political agenda of the BJP-led government. MPs from Congress, TMC, DMK, AAP and AIMIM have repeatedly questioned Pal’s choice of stakeholders and even complained to the Birlathe chairman about his alleged one-sided behavior and implementation of the government’s agenda. Pal has rejected the allegations, claiming that he allowed all stakeholders and all opposition MPs to record their views.
He said if opposition MPs want to meet Birla, that is their right. The speaker had constituted the committee and whatever he decides will be acceptable to all, Pal added.
The Ministry of Minority Affairs has testified before the committee for nearly 29 hours over five days, and nearly a thousand slides containing members’ views, responses and the ministry’s position have been prepared, Pal said, refuting the opposition’s accusation of inadequate consultation was refuted. The panel has held 25 hearings and traveled to many states, he added. A BJP MP said around 146 groups have been deposed before the committee, which received over 95.86 lakh suggestions through various means, including e-mails.