Soon after tabling the bill in Lok Sabha, it was Kiren Rijiju, minority affairs minister, who proposed to send the bill for further parliamentary scrutiny despite the majority arrayed in favour of the legislation, which seeks to introduce oversight on the powers of Waqf Boards, which in the current scheme of things can declare any property to be a Waqf asset.
Bill addresses complaints that waqf boards could arbitrarily declare any property theirs
Govt offering to get the legislation examined by a parliamentary panel, which would comprise members of the two Houses belonging to major political parties, is seen as reflecting the recognition of the sensitive nature of the Bill, which has been dubbed “communal” by Muslim bodies and politicians, and appears to be aimed at warding off controversies sparked by contentious legislations; for instance, the one brought for farm sector reforms.
Rijiju’s announcement also came as a surprise because the support for the legislation from BJP’s ‘secular’ allies TDP and JD(U), which are wary of appearing to be insensitive to Muslim causes, guaranteed passage of the law which has done away with the provision requiring CEOs and members of Waqf Boards to be Muslims. Instead, it has brought in district magistrates as an oversight on the crucial decision on whether a particular property is to be declared a Waqf asset.
The bill also makes cases related to Waqf properties subject to the ‘statute of limitations’, thus addressing the complaint that the boards could arbitrarily declare any property, no matter how old, as belonging to waqf.
Defending govt amid protests from opposition, TDP’s G M Harish Balyogi said his party believes that registration of property as proposed in this Bill would help poor Muslims & women by bringing transparency. “Purpose of donors needs to be protected. But when the purpose and power get misused, it becomes responsibility of govt to bring in reforms and introduce transparency,” he said.
JD-U’s Rajiv Ranjan Singh ‘Lalan’, animal husbandry and panchayati raj minister, dismissed opposition’s charges as an attempt to mislead people and said the legislation aimed to bring transparency in the functioning of Waqf Boards. Referring to a comparison drawn by Congress with the Ayodhya and Guruvayur temple boards, the JD(U) functionary said the analogy was incorrect as the Waqf Bill sought to regulate the functioning of an organisation and not interfere with the administration of a mosque. Singh also questioned Congress’s secular credentials by reminding it about its role in the Sikh riots.
The stand of the two allies, TDP (16 MPs) and JD-U (12), which together add 28 MPs to BJP’s 240 along with seven of Shiv Sena and five of LJP, among others, should guarantee passage of the Bill in LS once it has been examined by the joint parliamentary committee. Govt is comfortably placed in RS, too. While Shrikant Shinde of Shiv Sena spoke strongly in favour of the Bill, the Uddhav Thackeray faction was conspicuous by its silence.