New Delhi: Opposition MPs on Thursday claimed the report of the joint committee of Parliament on the Waqf bill sought to open the floodgates for targeting land belonging to other religious groups.
They also questioned redacting certain portions of the dissent notes submitted by opposition members of the panel.
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said certain portions that cast aspersions on the committee had been removed and added that it was done according to rules.
The report of the joint committee of Parliament on the (Amendment) Bill was tabled in the Rajya Sabha amid uproar on Thursday, with the proceedings briefly adjourned following a heated debate between the treasury and the opposition benches.
When the House reconvened, opposition MPs said their dissent notes were redacted from the report while the government denied the charge. The opposition members then staged a walkout.
The Congress’ Syed Nasir Hussain, a member of the panel, told reporters on the Parliament premises that the report was “completely biased and one-sided”.
“Procedure was not followed in the meeting. Non-stakeholders were invited to present their views,” he said.
Hussain claimed that 97-98 per cent of stakeholders opposed the Bill while the non-stakeholders who had been called supported it.
“Minutes of the meetings were not provided, response of the witnesses was not provided. Presentations were not given to us on time. After the meetings with stakeholders, members were supposed to sit and discuss but that did not happen,” he said.
Several key issues were not addressed, Hussain alleged.
“Before the report was finalised, very little time was given to submit dissent. Yet, we submitted dissent notes. Key parts of the dissent notes were redacted, it is in the public domain,” he said.
“When we raised this issue, the minority affairs minister lied and said the dissent notes had not been redacted. We met the chairman and gave a memorandum with our complaint. This is a biased report,” Hussain said, referring to Rijiju, who also holds the minority affairs portfolio.
The Congress member, and several others from opposition parties, expressed apprehension that similar action might be taken in the future on properties under different religious bodies and groups.
“Today it is Waqf, tomorrow it will be about gurdwara land, then temples… They want to snatch the land and give it to their friends,” he said.
TMC member Nadimul Haque condemned the report and said a bill to stop encroachment on Waqf properties was withdrawn.
“On one hand, they are saying they want to save Waqf land… on the other hand, they withdrew that bill,” he said.
“I was also a member of the committee, the dissent note that we gave was redacted, it was censored. The minister claimed everything has been done as per rules. They need to tell under which rule were these portions redacted,” he said.
Haque claimed millions of Indians would be affected if the Bill became an act. “We will continue to oppose the Bill.”
AAP’s Sanjay Singh, also a member of the panel, said rules were not followed during its meetings.
“I participated in the proceedings. It was turned into a joke, those who are not stakeholders were called and we, who were members of the panel, our perspectives, our dissent, was not even included in the report. It is a violation of parliamentary conventions,” he said.
“This is the beginning for capturing land of mosques and dargahs, history will not forgive us… The Modi government wants to give all property to Adani and some capitalists,” he said.
Mahua Maji of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) echoed Singh.
“The government is eyeing Waqf land… This will happen with other religions as well in the days to come,” she said.
The Congress’ Pramod Tiwari said, “We want to save the country, we know it has come today for the Waqf, it will be gurdwaras next, then temples… churches… This is an effort by the INDIA bloc to protect the interest of all religions in the country.”
Denying the opposition’s charge on their dissent notes being redacted, Rijiju said the panel did commendable work.
“Some opposition MPs raised objections and said their dissent notes had been taken out. The report, along with annexure, has been tabled. In the dissent note, if aspersions are cast on the committee, which the chairman feels is not right, the chairman has the power to remove those portions. It is written in the rules,” he said in a press conference.
“It is wrong to say the dissent notes are not included in the report,” he added.
