Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday introduced The Waqf (Amendment) Bill and proposed sending it to a joint parliamentary committee after opposition parties objected to its provision.
He also introduced The Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, 2024. Home Minister Amit Shah said since the Waqf Act of 1995 came into being, there was a need to repeal the Mussalman Wakf Act, 1923 which had lost its relevance.
He accused the opposition of "misleading" Muslims and saying that amendments had to be brought in as the present act had many mistakes and could not serve its purpose.
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill also aims at renaming the Waqf Act, 1995, as the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Act, 1995. The bill was circulated among Lok Sabha members on Tuesday night ahead of its introduction.
Soon after Rijiju sought leave to introduce the bill, many opposition MPs, who had given notices to oppose the bill, alleged that the proposed legislation was an "attack on the Constitution and federalism".
Responding to the concerns flagged by opposition members, Rijiju said there will be no interference with freedom of any religious body in the Waqf bill.
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