New Delhi, Jan 27 The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Waqf Bill is set to convene on Monday at 11 a.m. to carry out a clause-by-clause discussion of the proposed legislation.
The meeting comes with both the ruling party and opposition members proposing 444 amendments to the 44 clauses of the Bill, signalling a heated debate ahead.
JPC chairman Jagdambika Pal, speaking to IANS, stated, "In the Waqf Board meeting, the clause-by-clause amendments made by the government will be discussed. The discussion will be completed today."
Highlighting the extensive consultations, he added, "The JPC has engaged with all stakeholders and states over the past six months. Now, the proposed amendments in the Bill by the parliamentarians will be discussed, whether in favour or against."
Pal emphasised that if a consensus is not reached, the committee will resort to voting.
"We will come to a conclusion, and the clause will be cleared," he assured, further stating that the JPC report would be submitted on time without delays, taking into account all stakeholder objections.
Key points of contention in the Waqf Bill include the structure of the Waqf Board and provisions for specific sects, such as the Aga Khanis and Shias.
Opposition members have strongly opposed the proposal for separate Waqf boards for these groups, creating significant discord within the committee.
The meeting is expected to be contentious, particularly after Friday's session witnessed the suspension of 10 opposition MPs for a day. These members accused Pal of being biased in his conduct during the meeting.
Among those suspended were TMC's Kalyan Banerjee, Nasir Hussain and Md Jawed of Congress, DMK's A Raja and M Abdullah, and AIMIM's Asaduddin Owaisi.
With tensions running high, the meeting could see riotous scenes as the JPC works against a deadline to submit its report by the end of the upcoming budget session.
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