Debate Intensifies: Waqf Amendment Bill Sparks Outcry

BJP MP Jagadambika Pal accuses opposition of appeasement politics over their support for AIMPLB's protest against the Waqf Amendment Bill. Pal argues the bill will benefit poor Muslims. The Waqf (Amendment) Bill seeks to reform management of Waqf properties through digitisation and transparency.

The Joint Parliamentary Committee Chairman on the Waqf Amendment Bill, BJP MP Jagadambika Pal, criticized opposition parties for allegedly treating Muslims as a mere vote bank amid protests from the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB). Pal accused the opposition of engaging in appeasement politics by supporting AIMPLB's black band protest.

Pal expressed optimism about the bill's passage in Parliament, emphasizing its potential benefits for poor Muslims and the Pasmandas. He condemned AIMPLB's protest during the holy month of Ramzan as a strategy to mislead people and politicize religious occasions.

Highlighting the government's efforts, Pal affirmed a commitment to transparency and welfare. The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, also dubbed 'Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency, and Development (UMEED) Bill,' proposes digitisation reforms and improved audit systems to address longstanding issues of mismanagement and corruption in Waqf properties.

(With inputs from agencies.)