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After extensive consultations with all parties, the Wakf Amendment Bill will be introduced in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. It is almost certain that it will be passed on Wednesday itself. There are chances of a huge uproar during this time, because many opposition parties are not in favor of it.
JDU-TDP with the government
However, other parties including the ruling NDA's major allies Janata Dal United (JDU) and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) are also standing firmly with the government and will vote in support of the bill. The ruling party also has sufficient numbers in the House. In such a situation, it is believed that the bill will be passed easily in both the houses.
Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju said that all the parties of the NDA are completely united in support of the bill. He even claimed to have the support of many MPs from the opposition. Rijiju said that he will introduce the bill immediately after the Question Hour ends at 12 o'clock.
Home Minister Amit Shah will be present in the House
In the meeting of the Business Advisory Committee of the House chaired by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday, a consensus was reached for eight hours of discussion on this bill, which can also be extended as per the sentiment of the House. However, Congress and many other opposition parties walked out of the meeting alleging suppression of their voice. According to sources, many senior BJP leaders including Union Home Minister Amit Shah can participate in the discussion on the bill.
The government had introduced the Wakf Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha on August 8 last year, but due to opposition from the opposition, it was sent to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) headed by Jagdambika Pal for consideration. The JPC has included the suggestions given by the NDA allies in the Wakf Amendment Bill.
Whip also issued for MPs
As a result, all the allies like TDP, JDU, Shiv Sena, LJP (Ram Vilas) HAM, RLD have announced their support for the bill and have also issued whips for their MPs. JPC had suggested a total of 14 changes in the original Waqf Amendment Bill, which have been incorporated in the new amendment bill.
After the amendments, it is now being presented again in the Lok Sabha. Since this is a normal bill, the ruling party will need only a majority of the members present in the House to pass it.
Azad Samaj Party's Chandrashekhar's opinion is not clear
According to the number of members in the House, NDA seems to have a clear majority. The total number of members in the Lok Sabha is currently 542, while one seat is vacant. BJP alone has 240 members in the House and the alliance partners have a total of 293 members. While the number of members in the opposition camp is only 237. There are some parties and independent members who have not yet clarified their stand. These include Chandrashekhar of Azad Samaj Party.
Opposition may walk out
BJP claims that it has the support of most of them. It will be interesting to see what the numbers are among the opposition parties because it is believed that some opposition members may walk out of the House. After the government's announcement to introduce the bill, opposition leaders held a meeting in Parliament House on Tuesday evening.
After the joint meeting, the INDIAA parties said that the entire opposition is united to defeat the divisive agenda of the Modi government on the Wakf Amendment Bill. Many opposition parties, including the Congress, have issued a whip to their MPs to remain present in the House for the next three days.
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